Arriving Today

Starred review from June 28, 2021
Wall Street Journal technology columnist Mims chronicles a product’s journey from manufacturer to doorstep in his timely debut, an enlightening exploration of e-commerce. Combining studies of human ingenuity, technological advances, and labor practices, Mims begins at an electronics factory in Vietnam. Picking a USB charger as his object of study, he details the 14,000 miles it travels to North America, beginning with a barge ride to one of the busiest ports in Southeast Asia, where the gadget, housed in a shipping container, is transferred by a 13-story high crane onto a cargo ship (his awe at global freight is infectious; shipping containers, for instance, are “the one object most responsible for the state of today’s world”). He also explores the history of a labor system that prizes efficiency above all else, studying the design of an Amazon warehouse, the cabin of an 18-wheeler, and the passenger seat of a UPS truck to detail the toll of “stressful working conditions that push people to their limit.” Readers will be hooked by Mims’s ability to turn what could’ve been a dry supply-chain explainer into a legitimate page-turner. For those interested in what goes on before packages arrive at their door, this is a no-brainer.

August 15, 2021
A survey of the logistical innovations that bring a product to your doorstep with the tap of a keyboard. In his first book, Wall Street Journal technology columnist Mims follows the trail of a USB device, an everyday piece of computer equipment, from its construction in a Vietnamese factory (and back even further, to the extraction of the elements that went into making its intricate interior) to its arrival at a buyer's home. This device is only one of "100 billion--the number of parcels shipped every year, worldwide, as of 2020." The author goes on to recount the lives of the people in the global supply chains that make it possible for the designers to get their inventions--also well explored--to market. Mims also chronicles the relevant history, from the scientific management theories of Frederick Taylor (and the alienation left in their wake) to the construction lines of Henry Ford (ditto) and the "centuries of experience, craft, and technology accumulated by sailors and naval architects" that allow a crew of 30 to 40 individuals to pilot a vessel three football fields long, stacked with thousands of containers, across entire oceans. Mims writes in a digestible style that conveys a pleasing you-are-there quality, and he does not shy away from describing the vast economic inequalities involved in the movement of commodities and the indifference of many managers toward their workers--from injuries to psychological impacts--since they can be trained in hours and discarded if they do not hit their "make rate." Inevitably, there is plenty of predictive analytics, load-balancing algorithms, fulfillment engines, and dynamic route planning--right down to a minimum of left turns for delivery trucks. Remarkably, Mims makes docking a cargo vessel and loading conveyor belts, and even making that left turn, well worth close examination. A surprisingly absorbing foray into the optimization of product flow.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2021
When Wall Street Journal technology columnist Mims started on his quest to discover what "arriving today" really means, he never imagined the complexity of the logistics industry. In 2020, there were 100 billion parcels shipped worldwide. He details how this volume impacts people and their habits in relation to buying, selling, and transporting consumer goods. Mims' research began as the COVID-19 pandemic was starting in China. From the microchip to the shipping container, he reveals how the pandemic impacted the supply chain and discusses how trends that might have taken years to develop were compressed into months. Through interviews, he shares stories of long-haul truck drivers, Amazon warehouse workers, and shipmates, among others. He uncovers how consumers have their behavior influenced by marketing and algorithms that convince them to press the "buy" button. The journey of goods is no longer mundane, and he wants readers to understand the complexity of today's logistics. Mims will have readers enthralled with the minutiae of what he calls a "sophisticated field of human endeavor." This book will appeal to general audiences and those in any part of the industry.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.