As she has to endure winter temperatures as low as -30C (-22F), you can understand why Narantsetseg Tsedendorj was concerned about not being able to buy a new pair of gloves. "Clothes are torn, worn out, I can't find work gloves," she says. Ms Tsedendorj is a goat herder in the wilds of Mongolia, where she helps the country maintain its position as the world's second-largest exporter of cashmere wool after China. You might think that her life is a world away from yours, and you'd be right in many ways. But what connects Ms Tsedendorj to most of us is that even in her remote corner of the globe she has been hit by product shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic. While most of us saw empty supermarket shelves back at the start of the outbreak last year, for landlocked Mongolia the situation has been more serious, given that it imports so much of its food, fuel and clothing (although obviously not including cashmere) needs. With the Mongolian government prioritising food imports, it has led to shortages in other areas, and subsequent price rises. "Mongolia is too dependent on foreign markets, which is very apparent now," says Ms Tsedendorj. "The price of everything has gone up, and I can't find anything to buy." Global supply chain management is not something most of us ever ponder, unless things go wrong and there are resulting shortages. This has been the case during the pandemic due to lockdowns limiting movements of goods and people, at the same time as people panic-buying. What can be done to strengthen chains and protect against shortages in the future? "Many companies were caught out by the pandemic, unfit to deal with the major shock," says Dr Laura Purvis, reader in supply chain management at Cardiff University. She sites the example of UK supermarkets who stock products according to forecasted demand. "These forecasts are generated a long time in advance, and are tightly managed in order to maximise shelf availability and minimise product obsolescence." The pandemic saw demand for certain products soar, such as tinned goods and toilet rolls. While other items, such as pre-made sandwiches, saw a big drop as people weren't going out to work. Add a fall in transport, and some supply chains broke down.