As temperatures warm up B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Interior, the spring runoff may cause supply chain problems.

Last weekB次元官网网址檚 atmospheric river triggered memories of November 2021, when flooding wiped out parts of the Coquihalla Highway, wreaking havoc on the supply chain and delaying the shipment of goods.

The supply chain must fundamentally change to accommodate an extreme climate, said Babak Tosarkani, an assistant professor in manufacturing at the University of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Okanagan campus.

B次元官网网址淧rofitability was the main objective when setting up supply chains,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut from now on we need to develop a resilient supply chain, even if it isnB次元官网网址檛 as efficient.B次元官网网址�

These changes take time, said Tosarkani, and in the short term, if natural disasters continue to damage critical infrastructures like roads and railways, rising costs will be apparent throughout the supply chain.

B次元官网网址淭hese costs will be distributed between all the players in the supply chain, and one of the players can be the consumer,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪ince we donB次元官网网址檛 have any short-term solutions to climate change, the best thing we can do is to make our supply chain more resilient by distributing inventory in multiple locations, estimating the market demand, using intermodal transportation and partnering with multiple suppliers.B次元官网网址�

This may require looking abroad to international sellers to cushion the impact of extreme weather.

B次元官网网址淚f you rely only on your regional supply chains, you cannot have an efficient economy, thatB次元官网网址檚 why we rely on products from international suppliers as well,B次元官网网址� said Tosarkani.

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Expanding the network to rely on different forms of transport will also help.

B次元官网网址淚nstead of relying on one mode of transportation, if we use other modes of transportation like transporting by train or by truck we can rely on more suppliers,B次元官网网址� he said.

The has already issued several warnings, and the province is investing heavily in flood and .

B次元官网网址淔ollowing the extraordinary work that was done to reconnect these highways in December, weB次元官网网址檙e building back permanent infrastructure that will be equipped to better withstand the impacts of climate change and future extreme weather events,B次元官网网址� said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Despite the changes, there will be challenges ahead.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a cultural issue that I think people are gradually getting used to,B次元官网网址� Tosarkani said. B次元官网网址淚nstead of just focusing on saving costs and the profitability of the supply chain, we will focus on its resiliency.B次元官网网址�

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