Productivity/Infrastructure The success and effectiveness of Brinkmann Grills is partly dependent on its logistics and supply chain management. However, the company faces various challenges in the area of logistics and supply chain just like other enterprises. While there are various kinds of logistics challenges depending on the kind of a firm's business or operations, some challenges are universal regardless of these factors. Similar to other enterprises, one of the major challenges in the area of logistics for Brinkmann Grills is the nation's deteriorating infrastructure. This is a major challenge for the organization because it depends on infrastructure within the United States and its cities for logistics and logistical support. Therefore, the business needs to find ways of dealing with this supply chain issue in order to lessen its impact on business operations and productivity.

The Deteriorating Infrastructure:

As previously mentioned, United States deteriorating infrastructure is one of the major challenges that business enterprises experience in supply chain because they depend on the nation's infrastructure for logistics and logistical support. Based on the findings of recent studies, the ongoing deterioration of America's infrastructure is the fourth major logistical challenge for business enterprises (Lynch, 2010). While the country has made significant progress in stimulus spending, very minimal efforts have been undertaken to address the problem of the worsening infrastructure across cities. Consequently, the United States is not close to where it needs to be with regards to accommodating the growing volumes of highway and rail traffic. Therefore, America's infrastructure will continue to weaken and worsen in the future if the economy improves drastically.

Currently,...

The problem has continued to worsen for decades because of underfunding of the logistical infrastructure. Businesses have in turned experienced ever-increasing logistical costs coupled with deteriorating reliability of the country's infrastructure. Supply managers are constantly struggling to ensure deliveries of materials in an environment that needs lean operations. Successive governments in the United States have not focused on dealing with the increased weakening of the nation's basic infrastructure. Some of the major indicators of this logistical challenge include delays, congestion, and more and less reliable lead times. Moreover, there is a constant shortage of long haul truck drivers and train engineers, increase in shortage of diesel mechanics, and skyrocketing prices of fuel.
Transportation modes throughout the country and its cities face difficulties in managing capacities since many business enterprises have shifted from carrier strategies geared towards lessening costs to strategies that are centered on obtaining necessary capacity. Recent efforts to address America's basic infrastructure have yielded minimal results because of the continual decline in resources. Actually, the nation continues to face the need to transport more resources on long distances and beyond national borders in order to meet the needs of growing populations (Buddress & Smith, 2010).

Possible Solutions:

The extent of the weakening of the nation's infrastructure shows the need for increased focus on management of logistical functions. This implies that supply chain professionals must become more expert in management of logistics in…