Black Friday, Christmas and the year-end shopping season are just around the corner, but many Americans may not be able to get their gifts on time as usual, as international production supply chains have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year and a half.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced a partnership with private industry in an effort to contain the global pandemic and its impact, unclogging logistics and stressing the importance of robust U.S. supply chains.

Supplies remain tight as a result of the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted global supply chains at different levels and stages.

Global supply chains bear the brunt of the outbreak, the report said. Countries shut down their economic activities, and workers were unable to work because of disease or quarantine. In September, for example, it was reported that more than 100,000 workers in Vietnam were unable to work due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the high cost of quarantine measures. A variety of factors led to the shutdown of factories and the rise in international freight prices. Supply chains including furniture, sneakers and iPhone parts were severely affected. Many US furniture companies have also been forced to delay deliveries because of factory closures in South-east Asia.

Online shopping has surged during the pandemic as people work from home. E-commerce has exploded at a time when many American companies outsource to foreign manufacturers who cannot produce. Online orders in the US rose 39% in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to the Commerce Department. A large number of orders cannot be fulfilled in time when supply is already severely inadequate.

The report said cargo volume increased as production gradually normalized after the epidemic subsided. However, ports and freight workers are still not fully back to work due to the pandemic, resulting in containers piling up at ports and unable to be delivered to assembly plants or retail stores. The Los Angeles Times reported in January that 1,800 workers at southern California ports were unable to get to work because of the pandemic.

These three phases are likely to continue as a result of the emergence and spread of a new variant of the Coronavirus, requiring countries to re-shut down their economies or re-infect their Labour force.

Enable the 24 x 7 mode for freight transportation

Biden announced policies to address supply chain bottlenecks at the White House on Wednesday. "The port of Los Angeles will begin operations 24 hours a day, seven days a week today," he said. The port of Long Beach made a commitment weeks ago to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a day. 24 x 7 has been implemented in some major countries around the world, and we are only now getting started. This is the first step in moving our overall freight and national logistics supply chain to a 24×7 model."

'The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handle 40% of the cargo that flows through U.S. ports and are among the highest in the world,' Mr. Biden said, according to the report. The two ports used to operate only from Monday to Friday and only half a day, but now they will operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, which will greatly improve logistics capacity. And many roads have less traffic at night, so trucks can deliver at night, which can improve efficiency. That has the potential to address the current supply chain congestion in the U.S., but it will take concerted action by major logistics companies and major retailers to address bottlenecks, he said.

So far, UPS and FedEx have agreed to significantly increase capacity, biden said, while other smaller logistics companies have also agreed to increase volumes. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, and large retailers such as Target and Home Depot have agreed to use the port's off-peak hours to deliver goods.

Washington, Oct 13 (Reuters) -- U.S. President Joe Biden urged the private sector on Wednesday to help ease supply chain blockages threatening to disrupt the U.S. holiday shopping season, and said the White House planned a nationwide review of the clogged system. Mr Biden said the port of Los Angeles, along with the port of Long Beach, would expand to a 24-hour operation to unload about 500,000 containers from offshore freighters. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the two busiest ports in the United States.

Big retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target will also expand their overnight operations at ports to try to meet delivery demand, he added.

White House officials said Americans could face higher prices because of supply chain problems and store shelves could be empty this Christmas season, the report said.

In addition to ramping up port activities, Wal-Mart, UPS and FedEx plan to step up round-the-clock operations to speed the movement of goods across the country. Samsung Electronics Co., Home Depot Inc., and Target Corp., are also increasing off-peak shipping.

The White House estimates that the commitment by the six companies to extend working hours will amount to an additional 3,500 containers per week by the end of the year.

Biden seeks long-term solutions

According to a report on voa's website on October 15, many products on the US market are now "made in China", including face masks that were in short supply during the pandemic. During the campaign and since taking office, Biden has repeatedly raised concerns about the state of U.S. supply chains. During the election campaign, he pointed out that the US could not rely on China for vital medical supplies and drug supply chains.

After taking office, President Biden signed Executive Order 14017, America's Supply Chain, on February 24, ordering a study of supply chain problems and solutions. On June 8, the White House established a "Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force," announcing that the United States will ensure smooth and secure supply chains in four key industries: semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging, high-capacity batteries, critical minerals and raw materials, and pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients.

In the short term, the US Departments of Commerce, Transportation and Agriculture will work together to address short-term pressures on supply chains caused by the slowdown, including as the year-end shopping season approaches, the report said. Over the long term, the Biden administration will develop long-term policies to strengthen the resilience of America's supply chains, including supporting American workers and innovation, investing in sustainable local and international supply chains, and confronting unfair trade practices.

"We need to invest in making more products here in America," Biden said at the White House on Thursday. Our country and our economy can no longer be prevented from making the key products we need simply because we lack relevant raw materials. We can no longer be highly dependent on one company or one country or one person in the world, especially one that does not share our values of labor and environmental standards."

According to the report, Biden has repeatedly said that the supply chain for many key US products is too dependent on China. He stressed that his "Build a Better Future" plan, which includes plans to rebuild U.S. manufacturing, infrastructure and supply chains, will allow the United States to maintain its economic and innovative edge in the world.