The Panama Canal expansion set off a chain reaction of events including the building of mega-ships and changes to shipping routes. For procurement, the challenge is adapting to the changes in a way that minimizes the impact of potential disruptions. -By Betty Armstrong

The global shipping industry is now constantly disrupted for many reasons, but the Panama Canal expansion is one of the early reasons, forcing a cascade of changes in the shipping industry. The expanded canal opened in June 2016 with a third set of locks, and the Panama Canal Authority announced at the time that a new era of global trade was beginning. The expansion doubled the canal’s capacity, enab....