Logjam saga: the journey of one Chinese export
The news is full of stories about supply bottlenecks; about how firms can't get goods from production line to store shelves.
Reuters followed one Chinese export to see what that really means.
These game controllers start life in a factory in China's Guangdong Province.
From there they go onto ships headed for the U.S. - final destination, big-name stores like Best Buy and Walmart.
Or at least that's the theory.
The reality is now much more complex, with supply chains thrown into chaos in the wake of the global health crisis.
Fraser Townley is boss of manufacturer T2M:
"It's impossible to get containers. And once you've got the containers, it's impossible to get the drivers. And once you've got the drivers, it's impossible to get things scheduled and timed and and what have you. So logistics has been something we've never experienced before."
Like countless western firms, T2M doesn't have its own factory.
Production is done by a Chinese firm.
But now it's hard to get goods into the U.S., even if you can get them out of China.
Labor shortages mean a record number of container ships are stacked up, waiting to unload, outside U.S. ports like Long Beach in California.
The problems have driven a surge in costs:
"This time last year, I remember being extremely upset that I was being charged somewhere between three and a half thousand dollars for a 40 foot container to get here. Now, if they ask you for $20,000, you ask, where where do I sign, where do I pay? It's crazy."
The problem is repeated worldwide, and firms have been forced to innovate.
T2M used to ship goods direct to its warehouse near Boston, Massachusetts.
Now they have to go overland from California, a more expensive route.
All these problems add to costs, and are a big factor behind soaring consumer prices worldwide.
Now the White House has a taskforce looking at ways to ease the logjam.
Like firms everywhere, T2M just hopes its products get to the shops in time for festive season shoppers.
