Apple’s iPhone production problems in China add yet another chapter to the collapse of previous supply chain models, ongoing political tension and exposure to disaster; all have underlined the need to diversify across every aspect of manufacturing to become more resilient.

Crisis management is no dawdle

The impact of these challenges on Apple means the company has perhaps lost millions of iPhone sales in the current quarter. That’s a challenge, but Apple is by no means unique in relying on a supply and manufacturing ecosystem that has proved less resilient than we need in these changing times.

Yes, for Apple, rioting workers in China is not a good look, and the attempt to keep COVID-19 in check there has evidently failed, to the probable detriment of us all. Surely, the current conflation of crises shows that the future of manufacturing must be multi-site and international.

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