IndustryTap has reported on a number of garment factory incidents like the Bangladesh factory fire of 2015 and chemical factory & supply explosions including 5 Chemical Plant Explosions and the Enormous Explosion in Tianjin, China last summer. When critical parts of a company’s production line are damaged or destroyed it can take weeks to months to return to normal.
Sudden Disruptions Cost Tens of Millions, Can Be Fatal to Business
A major industrial explosion occurred last summer after a fire broke out at the Zodiac Aerospace factory in Eastern Washington state. The explosion damaged property, caused injuries to five people, and disrupted the company’s supply chain for months.
Zodiac Aerospace is a major global supplier of aircraft seats, interiors, and other airplane components. Zodiac supplies aircraft cabin interiors to Airbus and Boeing. Due to the explosion, Zodiac needed to find a temporary supplier of resin to fulfill its contracts, a problem that took time to solve. This and other related issues caused delays in deliveries to Airbus and Boeing.
Measuring Supply Chain Damage After a Disaster
Elementum, which provides real-time supplier management services, created the following infographic detailing the effects of the factory explosion on Zodiac Aerospace’s supply chain.
Elementum has observed over 50 events involving industrial explosions and provides insight into how difficult it is for a company as it struggles to get back to normal. According to Elementum, 40% of suppliers who go out of business do so due to unforeseen events such as factory fires.
Elementum’s infographic shows the type of factories usually involved in explosions: metals, auto, palette, chemical, plastics, electrical, and miscellaneous.
The following video is a report from the night of the Zodiac Aerospace explosion.
