just in time

“International supply chains are geared towards just-in-time and not towards some Beijing bureaucrats making up their minds over months at a time whether to license a particular export shipment or not,” said Thomas Kruemmer, a rare-earth analyst based in Singapore.

“It’s a more ‘just-in-time’ approach and with a more frequent order mechanism,” Ruh said.

Carmakers have a long tradition of using so-called "just-in-time delivery", where parts are not held in stock but delivered from suppliers exactly where and when they are needed.

“Global trade uncertainties disrupted typical grain flows and caused many of our commercial customers to focus on just-in-time purchasing,” William Krueger, the Andersons’ chief executive, said Wednesday in a call with investors.

He was hand selected by Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs for his unrivalled expertise in just-in-time supply logistics.