Latest / The Operator's Manual with Fexingo: Daily Decisions, Tactical Wins, and Business Execution
How a Tire Supplier Broke the Auto Industry
Episode 31 of The Operator's Manual digs into a 2021 crisis that still haunts automakers: a single cold-weather chemical plant failure in Texas caused a months-long tire shortage that shut down assembly lines worldwide. Lucas and Luna trace how Continental and Bridgestone's just-in-time dependency on a niche synthetic rubber ingredient exposed a fragile link in the global auto supply chain. They examine why no automaker had a backup plan, how Toyota's buffer stock strategy fared better than rivals, and what operations leaders today — June 2026 — are doing differently to prevent…
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