Canaries In The Coal Mine

For generations, and in many lands, caged canaries were kept in coal mines. That was before the days of surface mining, and denuded Appalachian mountaintops. The theory, and reality, was that lethal gasses would kill the little birds in a small concentration, warning the miners in time for them to scamper to the surface and safety.

So, a prostrate yellow bird was the early warning system, a small sacrifice in the interest of the greater good. Of course, the miners needed to be alert enough to notice the fallen angel fairly quickly, lest the warning not be early enough.

In the supply chain world we may have our own canaries, our early warning systems. Chuck Taylor, and Dr. Jim Giermanski, both friends of many years, have been relentless in telling us about the specter of peak oil and the sieve-like construct of post-9/11 supply chain security. One or both may not be right immediately, but the inexorable logic of their arguments suggest that both will be proven correct at some point, possibly one not all that far off.

It is curious that, in the energy sector, while working on all manner of long-cycle alternatives, we fail to leverage what could be accessible in the short term, and continue to design distribution networks with fossil fuel impacts as a secondary consideration. As for security, we have, in the people-moving supply chain, nearly perfected a program that permits pedophiles to pat down pre-pubescent passengers, while latent necrophiliacs get to grope grannies.

Meanwhile, no one would seem to notice marching bands crossing our southern border, and ocean cargo containers encounter little serious comprehensive scrutiny, and fail to use available detection technology. I'll explore the security question in a little more detail at a later date. Until then, who's watching the canaries?

Actually, we probably have canaries to watch in all aspects of supply chain planning, execution, and business relationships. What do you think some of the little yellow feathers floating to the cage floor might be to signal danger in other spheres?