How the World Ran Out of Everything Global shortages of many goods reflect the disruption of the pandemic combined with decades of companies limiting their inventories. The empty shelves at a Target store in Dallas last June highlight how companies of all types were unprepared for a crisis.Credit...Nitashia Johnson for The New York Times June 1, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET In the story of how the modern world was constructed, Toyota stands out as the mastermind of a monumental advance in industrial efficiency. The Japanese automaker pioneered so-called Just In Time manufacturing, in which parts are delivered to factories right as they are required, minimizing the need to stockpile them.