2021年经济学人 通胀“恶魔降临”,美国企业发出警报(2)（在线收听）

Their coyness notwithstanding, many of Mr Adamczyk’s and Mr Berkley’s fellow bosses are bracing for a period of higher costs. Some inputs remain scarce while clogged supply chains are being reconfigured for a reopening economy. At the same time, demand is surging from American consumers, who are flush with unspent pandemic-year savings, augmented by stimulus cheques from the government. To deal with the resulting price pressures, firms are adapting their corporate tactics accordingly.

尽管阿达姆奇克和伯克利的许多同行老板们含糊其辞，但他们正准备迎接一段成本上升的时期。堵塞的供应链正在为重开经济进行重组，但一些投入仍然短缺。与此同时，美国消费者未用完的疫情年储蓄充溢，再加上政府的刺激支票，他们的消费需求也在激增。企业为应对由此产生的价格压力，正在相应地调整企业策略。

In the 1970s companies responded to rising input prices in a number of ways. First, they passed as much of the higher costs as possible on to customers. When that strategy was exhausted, they turned to automating operations or moving them to places with cheaper labour, either elsewhere in America or abroad.

上世纪70年代，企业对投入价格上涨的应对方式多种多样。首先，他们将尽可能多的高成本转嫁给客户。在这一策略用尽后，企业转向自动化操作或转移到劳动力更廉价的地方，无论是在美国其他地方还是国外。

Businesses are now dusting off that old formula, starting with price rises. In April Coca-Cola told analysts that its soft drinks are about to become more expensive, and Whirlpool warned that the same was going to happen to its washing machines and other appliances. Procter & Gamble plans to raise the prices of some of its consumer products by “mid to high single digits” in September. On June 8th Chipotle confirmed it had increased menu prices at its Mexican-grill restaurants by as much as 4%. Some companies, such as Royal Canin, which makes pet food, have kept prices steady but cut the size of their portions.

企业如今正重新采用旧的应对模式，从价格上涨开始。可口可乐今年4月向分析师表示，其软饮料价格即将上涨。惠而浦警告称，其洗衣机和其他家电产品也将上调价格。宝洁计划在9月份将部分消费品价格上调“中至高个位数”。6月8日，Chipotle证实其墨西哥卷饼餐厅的菜单价格上涨了4%。部分公司选择保持价格稳定，但减少份量，比如生产宠物食品的皇家（Royal Canin）。

Michael Goldman, who runs Carolina Casting, which makes furniture in North Carolina, has seen the cost of resin shoot up by 75%, of lumber three- to fourfold, and of a container to ship materials from Asia by $16,000, to $20,000. He has increased his rates for customers twice so far this year. WR Berkley began repricing its premiums upwards last year but has accelerated that in the past couple of months. Insurance brokers who sell the company’s policies have not grumbled; they expected as much, says Mr Berkley.

Carolina Casting（家具制造公司，位于北卡罗莱纳州）的负责人迈克尔?戈德曼发现，树脂的成本飙升了75%，木材的成本上涨了3到4倍，从亚洲运送材料的集装箱成本上涨了1.6万至2万美元。今年以来，他已经两次提高了顾客的价格。WR柏克利去年开始重新上调保费价格，但在过去几个月加快了上调步伐。卖公司保单的保险经纪人没有发牢骚；伯克利表示，他们也期望如此。