JOHNSTON, R.I., March 31, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Ukraine, roiled by conflict with neighboring Russia, poses significant challenges for companies considering expanding their supply chains there. So does Thailand despite the years that have passed since the popular manufacturing destination's devastating floods.
Exactly what risk do these countries present? Their vulnerabilities, as well as those of many other countries, are quantified in the definitive ranking of supply chain resilience around the world, the 2015 FM Global Resilience Index, released today.
Woes of Russia's neighbor
Ukraine fell 31 places in this year's FM Global Resilience Index to 107th, the biggest year-over-year fall in the rankings, owing directly to Russian military intervention there. This worsening political risk and a weakened infrastructure are the main negative factors affecting the rank of Europe's largest country.
Thailand, one of the world's top exporters, fell 20 places to 82nd of 130 countries and territories examined. In particular, the ranking reflects poorer perceptions of the country's infrastructure (e.g., transport, telephony and energy) and the quality of local suppliers as well as a decline in political stability and the quality of fire risk management. These matters compound the misery of the country's 2011 floods that wreaked an estimated US$45 billion in losses and business disruption worldwide.
There was good news, however, for Taiwan. It soared 52 places in the annual rankings to 37th overall, a bigger rise than any other country. Its ascension is mainly due to a substantial improvement in the country's commitment to risk management, as it relates to both natural hazard risk and fire risk.
Updated annually by commercial property insurer FM Global, the data-driven 2015 FM Global Resilience Index gauges resilience (the flipside of risk) along nine dimensions. The Index compiles vetted data from sources such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Economic Forum and FM Global's database of more than 100,000 client locations. Countries and territories examined are ranked from most to least resilient. Online and interactive (http://www.fmglobal.com/resilienceindex), the Index enables users to drill into individual resilience factors and drivers as they plan supply chain expansions, select suppliers (and backup suppliers), and evaluate existing facilities.
"Business leaders who don't evaluate countries and supply chain resilience can suffer long-term consequences," said Bret Ahnell, executive vice president, operations, FM Global. "If your supply chain fails, it can be difficult or impossible to get your market share, revenue and reputation back. The FM Global Resilience Index is designed to help business leaders stay in business by making informed decisions about where to place and maintain global supplier facilities."
To view an infographic of this year's results, click here. To watch a video about the Index, click here.
Leaders and laggards
Norway is ranked #1 in the Index as the country best suited for companies seeking to avoid disruptions in their global supply chain operations. Venezuela ranked last on the list of the 130 countries and territories listed. The three regions of the United States – East, Central and West – all rank in the top 25.
United States and China
The United States and China are each segmented into three separate regions because the geographic spread of these countries produces significantly disparate exposures to natural hazards. Region 3 of the U.S., which includes most of the central part of the country, ranks 10th. Region 1, encompassing much of the East Coast, ranks 16th and Region 2, primarily the West Coast, ranks 21st.
China's three regions rank 63rd (Region 3), 64th (Region 1), and 69th (Region 2). Beyond natural disaster risk, China's other challenges range from "poor accountability and transparency, high levels of perceived corruption and growing security concerns to problems in its financial sector, especially with regard to the fragile position of its banks," according to the Index's 2015 Annual Report.
Other key findings of the Index:
Top 10 Countries – Most Resilient to Business Supply Chain Disruption
1. Norway
2. Switzerland
3. Netherlands
4. Ireland
5. Luxembourg
6. Germany
7. Qatar
8. Canada
9. Finland
10. United States – Region 3 (Central)
Bottom 10 Countries – Least Resilient to Business Supply Chain Disruption
121. Tajikistan
122. Egypt
123. Pakistan
124. Jamaica
125. Honduras
126. Dominican Republic
127. Nicaragua
128. Mauritania
129. Kyrgyz Republic
130. Venezuela
About the FM Global Resilience Index
The Index is compiled annually for FM Global, one of the world's largest commercial property insurers, by analytics and advisory firm Oxford Metrica. The Index is generated by combining three core factors of business resilience to supply chain disruption: economics, risk quality and qualities of the supply chain itself. The drivers of these factors include GDP per capita, political risk, vulnerability to oil shortages and price shocks, exposure to natural hazards, quality of natural hazard risk management, fire risk, control of corruption and the quality of infrastructure and local suppliers.
"As globalization increases, business is increasingly conducted in a borderless and interconnected way," said Dr. Deborah Pretty, principal at Oxford Metrica. "The FM Global Resilience Index provides a unique and compelling look at how 130 countries and territories stand up to supply chain disruption. CEOs, CFOs and other decision makers can now make informed investments knowing the vulnerability of these countries to supply chain disruption and their ability to recover from it."
About FM Global
Marking its 180th year in business in 2015, FM Global is a mutual insurance company whose capital, scientific research capability and engineering expertise are solely dedicated to property risk management and the resilience of its client-owners. These owners, who share the belief that the majority of property loss is preventable, represent many of the world's largest organizations, including one of every three FORTUNE 1000 companies. They work with FM Global to better understand the hazards that can impact their business continuity in order to make cost-effective risk management decisions, combining property loss prevention with insurance protection. FM Global is rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best, AA (Very Strong) by Fitch and A+ by Standard & Poor's.
About Oxford Metrica
Oxford Metrica is an independent analytics and advisory firm that provides evidence-based research on risk and financial performance. Its work includes statistical analysis for banks and insurers, risk and performance analytics for asset managers and customized services for corporate clients.
This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/04/prweb12619763.htm