Avery Dennison Takes $75 Million Stake in Wiliot
Avery Dennison announced a $75 million minority investment in Wiliot, a maker of passive Bluetooth Low‑Energy (BLE) sensors for supply‑chain visibility. The deal builds on prior collaborations with Walmart, where both firms are deploying ambient IoT sensors to improve inventory accuracy and cold‑chain compliance. Avery will serve as Wiliot’s preferred inlay design, manufacturing, and commercial partner, merging its RFID expertise with BLE technology. The partnership aims to accelerate digital identity adoption across retail, logistics and food sectors.
In Person Interview: Brad White of Werner
Brad White, director of safety and compliance at Werner Enterprises, oversees driver screening, hazardous‑materials compliance, and C‑TPAT certification. Since joining Werner in 2010, he has expanded safety protocols, including hair‑based drug testing and integrating a human‑trafficking hotline into the company’s...
Keeping GPS Free From Interference: An Interview with Lisa Dyer
Lisa Dyer, executive director of the GPS Innovation Alliance, warned that GPS—critical to billions of users and essential for transportation, finance, and defense—is increasingly vulnerable to jamming and spoofing. With 32 medium‑Earth‑orbit satellites transmitting low‑power signals, both foreign actors and...
UPS Expands Product Return Network
UPS Inc. announced the addition of more than 1,700 new Return Bar locations, bringing its box‑free, label‑free drop‑off network to 10,000 sites nationwide. The expansion, driven by partnerships with Annex Brands and PackageHub Business Centers, now places 79% of the U.S. population...
Don’t Forget About Your Yard
Supply chain software has surged with AI‑enhanced WMS and TMS platforms, but the freight yard between them remains largely manual. Experts warn that yard inefficiencies waste up to 75 % of drivers' idle time, cutting average driving hours to 6.5 of...
Report: 65% of Pharma Supply Chain Leaders Have Limited Confidence in AI
A new WBR Insights LogiPharma Playbook surveyed 100 European pharma supply‑chain heads and found that while AI is moving from ambition to pilot projects, confidence remains low. Only 36% use AI beyond isolated experiments and 47% are still planning deployments....
Industry Identifies Top 3 Women-Friendly Truck Stops
The American Transportation Association’s Women In Motion Council and trucking‑tech firm Trucker Path announced the three most women‑friendly truck stops in the United States—Compass Travel Center in DeMotte, Indiana; Garden Inn Truck Plaza in Mound City, Missouri; and Talent Truck...
Beckhoff Advances Controller Technology
At Modex 2026, Beckhoff unveiled EP741x motor‑driven roller controllers that boost safety, efficiency and modularity for conveyor systems. Fanuc demonstrated AI‑enhanced robot arms with vision and RFID that automate box handling, labeling and palletizing. Linde introduced the myLinde telematics platform and...
Pushing the Limits
E‑commerce growth is spurring demand for flexible conveyor sortation systems. The global market is projected to grow 4.5% CAGR through 2035, reaching $7.5 billion. Regal Rexnord’s ModSort module offers all‑electric, omnidirectional diverting for packages up to 30×30 in and 50 lb at 35‑50 ppm,...
Iran War: Expensive Oil Drives Rising Inflation in U.S.
The ongoing Iran‑War has choked oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing diesel prices up 55% year‑to‑date and sparking a sharp energy‑price shock. In March, the energy component of the CPI jumped 10.9%, while the gasoline index surged...
AI Is Redefining First-Time Jobs
Artificial intelligence, especially agentic AI, is prompting roughly half of companies to eliminate or plan to eliminate entry‑level positions. Surveys show 21% of firms have already frozen hiring, 36% will do so by year‑end, and 47% expect a halt by...
TD Cowen: 26% of Carriers Would Use AI Instead of Freight Brokers
TD Cowen’s first‑quarter carrier survey shows 26% of U.S. trucking firms would replace human freight brokers with AI‑driven load‑booking tools, while another 40% would rely on AI for simpler shipments. The remaining 28% prefer to keep brokers for all loads,...
Planet-Friendly Logistics
In February the U.S. government repealed the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding, stripping the agency of authority to regulate greenhouse‑gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Despite this policy reversal, the logistics sector—particularly maritime shipping—continues to pursue decarbonization, with the International...
Report: Robot Density Surges in Europe, Asia, and the Americas
The International Federation of Robotics reports that Western Europe achieved a record robot density of 267 units per 10,000 employees in 2024, outpacing North America (204) and Asia (131). Eight Western European nations rank among the global top‑20, with Germany,...
3PL Turns a Pain Point Into a Selling Point
RJ Logistics, a woman‑owned 3PL in Michigan, struggled with cross‑border shipment visibility in Mexico, relying on manual check calls that slowed response times and taxed staff. The company implemented Rectangle’s universal API, automatically feeding GPS data into its McLeod TMS...
Truckstop.com Acquires Heavy Haul Rating Specialist Wize Load
Truckstop.com has acquired heavy‑haul rating specialist Wize Load and rebranded the service as Truckstop Heavy Haul Rates. The new platform consolidates lane data, permit rules and equipment requirements, giving brokers a faster way to price open‑deck, heavy‑haul and over‑dimensional shipments. By...
Gartner: AI-Assistant Software Soon to Enter Fast Growth Phase
Gartner forecasts that AI‑assistant supply chain management software will surge from under $2 billion in 2025 to $53 billion in spend by 2030. The market will shift from early adoption to a fast‑growth phase as providers deploy simple AI agents to automate...
Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Hit European Machine Producers
The Trump administration implemented a flat 25% tariff on most European‑made machinery starting April 6, with a future 50% rate slated for steel‑heavy products. A limited 15% relief applies only to certain equipment, such as injection molding machines, until December 31 2027. The...
Iran War: Global Airfreight Pricing Continues to Rise
The Iran‑War‑driven closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed jet fuel prices above $2 per gallon, more than doubling since February. Higher jet fuel costs have become the primary driver of rising global air‑freight rates, which reached a new...
U.S. Flatbed Truck Freight Rate Jumps to Largest Weekly Increase in over a Decade
U.S. flatbed truck freight rates jumped 11 cents to $2.55 per mile for the week ending April 4, marking the biggest weekly rise in more than a decade. The level is the highest seen in four years and sits $0.40 above...
Report: Global Freight Markets Rocked by Iran War Effects
The Iran War has triggered a freight‑market shock, with jet fuel prices soaring to $197 a barrel and air, ocean and rail rates climbing sharply. Dimerco’s April 2026 Asia‑Pacific Freight Report shows air freight up 20‑50% and rail container fees...
Survey: Manufacturing Workers Are Skeptical of Adopting AI
A PwC‑Manufacturing Institute survey of over 100 manufacturing leaders reveals deep skepticism toward AI on the shop floor. While 48% rate frontline leaders as effective, 54% lack confidence in those leaders’ ability to steer AI change, and 62% of workers...
In Person Interview: Sai Shivareddy of Nyobolt
Nyobolt CEO Sai Shivareddy says the battery market is booming, with global revenue projected to rise from $154 billion in 2025 to $555 billion by 2033. The company’s fast‑charging cells deliver super‑capacitor power density while retaining lithium‑ion energy, offering ten‑times longer cycle...
Smaller “Shallow-Bay” Warehouse Space Sees Rising Demand
Demand for shallow‑bay industrial space—buildings under 50,000 sq ft with 14‑28 ft clear heights—is accelerating as service‑oriented and last‑mile users seek smaller formats. Vacancy rates for these properties have fallen below the broader industrial average, creating a tight market where rents have risen...
Cold Storage Goes High-Tech
Rising e‑grocery sales and aging U.S. cold‑storage facilities are driving a surge in demand for modern, temperature‑controlled warehouses. DHL Supply Chain teamed with real‑estate developer RLCold to build over 5 million square feet of new cold‑storage space across North America, emphasizing...
How Good Is Your DC Simulation Model?
Distribution centers are racing to integrate new automation to meet soaring e‑commerce demand, prompting many to adopt computer simulations before committing capital. Amazon’s design engineering team, led by Abhineet Mittal, has pioneered a modular discrete‑event simulation method that breaks the...
USPS to Hike Prices 8% on April 26 to Cope with Rising Gas Prices
The U.S. Postal Service announced an 8% price increase effective April 26, citing rising fuel costs and broader inflationary pressures. At the same time, the removal of the de‑minimis exemption has introduced a baseline 10% tariff on most overseas parcels,...
FedEx Launches Two-Hour and End-of-Day Delivery Options
FedEx announced FedEx SameDay Local, a new parcel service that lets shoppers choose two‑hour or end‑of‑day delivery at checkout. The offering is built on a partnership with Florida‑based last‑mile platform OneRail and taps a national network of more than 1,000...
Lytx Fleet Risk Report Finds Collision Rates Rose Just 4% in 2025
A panel of automation leaders highlighted rapid advances in AI‑driven robotics, autonomous mobile robots, digital twins and predictive maintenance that are reshaping warehouses. They stressed that buyers now prioritize measurable ROI, speed‑to‑value and seamless integration over technology for its own...
3PLs Struggle to Address Shippers’ Tech, Service, Cost, and Data Needs
Third‑party logistics providers (3PLs) face mounting pressure as shippers seek greater resilience, reliability and real‑time data amid rising costs, labor shortages and geopolitical volatility. Industry leaders like Ryder emphasize deep customer understanding, rapid startup execution and continuous KPI‑driven improvement to...
Study: Retailers Struggle to Serve Impatient Consumers as Fulfillment Costs Rise
Retailers worldwide are feeling the squeeze as global logistics and fulfillment costs have risen more than 20% over the past three years. At the same time, 66% of shoppers now bounce across two or more channels before buying, fragmenting the...
Survey: Trucking Fleets Face “Procurement Paralysis” Due to Shifting Business Climate
A Fleet Advantage survey reveals that nearly half of U.S. heavy‑duty trucking executives are stuck in "procurement paralysis" as shifting tariffs and low‑emission engine mandates create uncertainty about new truck purchases. The indecision has forced fleets to keep older trucks...
DHL Expands White-Glove Logistics for Construction of AI Data Centers
DHL announced a major expansion of its North American data‑center logistics network, adding ten dedicated warehouses that will total more than seven million square feet by 2026. The new sites are purpose‑built for hyperscale and colocation operators constructing AI‑focused data...
Automation, AI Reshape the Workforce
Randstad’s Workmonitor 2026 report, based on 1,752 workers, 55 employers and over a million job postings, finds AI adoption accelerating while worker confidence in technology plummets. While 98% of U.S. employers expect growth, only 55% of talent share that optimism,...
Global Trade Flows Stay Resilient Despite War, Tariff, Geopolitical Tensions
The DHL Global Connectedness Report 2026 shows globalization holding steady at a 25% index in 2025, matching the 2022 peak. Global trade grew faster than any year since 2017, driven largely by a surge in AI‑related product shipments that accounted...
Tackling Complexity with Smart Automation
Swiss 3PL Alloga modernized its Bern distribution center by integrating Interroll’s Modular Conveyor Platform with Flück Fördertechnik. The modular, zero‑pressure accumulation system increased transport capacity, boosted throughput by 45% and expanded storage within the existing footprint without interrupting operations. Custom...
European Groups Form Cybersecurity Initiative for Industrial Automation
A European consortium has launched the three‑year ENFORCERS initiative to secure software supply chains, coordinate incident response, and enhance lifecycle resilience for industrial automation. Backed by EU funding, the project brings together manufacturers, cybersecurity vendors, and research institutes to build...
GEP: Global Manufacturing Levels Rose in February, Led by Asia
The GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index shows global manufacturing activity rose in February, driven by a surge in Asian factories that reached the busiest level since October 2022. North America’s index slipped into negative territory, indicating under‑utilized supplier capacity,...
Warehouses Lack Agility—And Are Paying the Price
Recent Lucas Systems research of 114 U.S. supply‑chain executives reveals that 51% of warehouses consider their automation systems unprepared for unforeseen disruptions, while 77% admit that at least half of their hardware or software is too rigid. The lack of...
Sensing Your Way to a Smoother Supply Chain
Supply chain management is being transformed by rapid advances in sensor technology, with the logistics sensor market projected to grow from $10.5 billion in 2024 to $25.8 billion by 2033. Ambient IoT, exemplified by Wiliot’s battery‑free Pixel tags, is giving Walmart item‑level...
Survey: Despite AI Tools, Freight Professionals Make Even More Decisions per Day
The Deep Current survey of 600 freight decision‑makers shows decision density rising despite AI adoption, with 74 % making over 50 operational choices daily and half exceeding 100. System fragmentation forces professionals to juggle five or more disconnected platforms, leading to...
Making the Warehouse a Better Place to Work
Warehouse automation promises easier picking and safer loading, yet it alone cannot solve the talent crunch. Industry leaders argue that career growth, cross‑training, and clear development pathways are essential to retain workers. Honeywell highlights training on new technology as a...
Let’s Be Straight on Deliveries
Online shoppers increasingly value reliable delivery dates, yet many experience shifting timelines and missed windows. A recent Avery Dennison survey shows 37% of consumers rank delivery delays as their top frustration, and 32% would abandon a favored brand after a single...
In Person Interview: Brian Alexander of Symbotic
Symbotic senior vice president Brian Alexander outlines the current robotics landscape, contrasting autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) with high‑density automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). He emphasizes the shift from traditional automation to AI‑powered solutions that can make decisions, predict demand...