Long term, most of today’s manufacturers use Just In Time ordering for raw materials. Manufacturers in the USA will respond by learning to keep raw materials on hand in stock, to not be at the mercy of the dock unions.
That will, in the short term, make purchasing look better...for about 18-24 months...just as Obama leaves office.
That is only a shot in the arm to the economy. Without a conservative approach to economics as a whole, it will end up being a shot in the nuts to the economy.
Storage causes spoilage/theft. That will increase the production costs without added benefits. This will cause buyers to seek cheaper products made out of country.
That will cause factories to close, and stores to close, because without manufacturing, they will have less to sell.
Mark, Obummer knows how to slip things “through the back door”, and he only pausesmlong enough to remove the stick from his back door to let more slip in.
You are right.
Things are already slowing down; what’s in inventory is being depleted and many replacements are on those ships and trucks, and unavailable to resupply anyone. It will get noticeable very soon.
I could go on-and-on about “Just In Time”.
A theory, implemented with varying degrees of success,
that was developed, not by “manufacturers”,
but by “assembly plants” to control inventory.
(your definitions and terminology may vary)
If I am a car assembly plant, and I build 100 cars a day, then
I demand that my tire manufacturer supply me with 400 tires per day,
I demand that my engine manufacturer supply me with 100 engines per day,
my radio, seat, steering wheel, windshield, brake light,
etc., etc., manufacturers all get the same demand.
This is so my assembly line is
(1) assured of an on-going reliable supply of parts, and
(2) not required to have a gigantic warehouse full of parts, and
(3) not required to have $millions$ tied up in parts inventory.
So the shift in inventory went from the assembly line down to the
supplier.
I used to work for an automotive supplier to Ford.
If you want to remain a supplier you had better not
ever-ever-ever-ever let them run out of parts.
So we had a big warehouse with $millions$ tied up in inventory ready to ship.