Supply, disrupted: How Singapore should prepare for the next crisis

ONE year into the Covid-19 pandemic, mask shortages feel like a distant memory. Today, one can find disposable and reusable masks in most local stores, in a variety of sizes and styles. But the threat of a global mask shortage was very real when factories in China - responsible for half of the world's surgical mask supply - began to shut down in early 2020. The potential supply crunch factored into the Singapore government's decision to discourage mask-wearing among healthy people, in order to conserve the protective gear for healthcare workers. Given what we now know about how the Covid-19 virus spreads, this move could have easily proved disastrous. But Singapore's luck held, and thanks to government efforts to secure supplies and private companies that stepped up to manufacture masks locally, we can breathe easier now.

However, the next time a crisis threatens global supply chains, Singapore might not be so lucky. Despite our limited land, resources and manpower, we must find ways to increase our self-reliance and resilience so we are not caught unprepared again.

Onshoring production