Know What's Happening in Supply Chain
Know What's Happening in Supply Chain
Iranian drone strikes hit Kuwait’s oil infrastructure ahead of OPEC+ talks
Iranian drones struck Kuwait’s oil infrastructure, causing severe material damage to petrochemical plants, a government office complex and desalination facilities, just hours before an OPEC+ meeting where members agreed in principle to raise output by 206,000 barrels per day in May.
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The podcast features Fab Brasca, Kinaxis senior VP, discussing how AI is reshaping supply chains and which firms are leading adoption. It also reveals the American Transportation Research Institute’s ranking, naming Chicago as the nation’s most severe freight bottleneck. Additionally, the episode warns of a looming cybersecurity risk: hackers harvesting encrypted data now to decrypt later with quantum computing. These topics underscore the intersecting pressures of technology, logistics, and security on modern supply networks.
Qatar Airways Cargo has unveiled its Ramp Digitalisation Programme, introducing the Ramp Offload and Load Supervision (ROLS) platform to replace paper‑based loading instructions. The digital tool provides real‑time loading confirmations, QR‑code scanning, and 100% ULD verification, streamlining offload and load...
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted unanimously to begin rule‑making that will modernize the state’s railroad safety regulations, the first overhaul since 2013. The motion, prompted by the three‑year anniversary of the East Palestine derailment, calls for updates to wayside...
Andrew Bartolini, founder of Ardent Partners, launches a new 45‑second video series titled “Procurement 2026: Big Trends and Predictions.” The inaugural episode, called “Permanent Beta Mode,” highlights the growing overlap between procurement and supply chain functions. The series will unpack 33...
Rail Baltica’s RB Rail AS has launched a market consultation ahead of an open procurement for independent technical review and validation of its electrification system design. The contract will support detailed design work in Latvia and Lithuania, ensuring compliance and...
The Bulgarian Ministry of Transport has earmarked €7 million to refurbish four intermodal terminals across Varna and Burgas, restoring rail links and installing new handling equipment such as a mobile crane and a charging station. The upgrades target Varna‑West, PCHMV‑Varna, Dolno Ezerovo...
SNCF Voyageurs and Île‑de‑France Mobilités have issued a joint tender for more than 300 Z2N NG double‑deck EMUs under a framework worth over €8 billion. The 23‑year agreement, running to December 2052, includes a firm order for 52 trains valued at €1.5 billion and optional tranches...
Lithuania’s railway electrification will rise from 8% to 28% by year‑end, driven by the Vilnius‑Klaipėda line upgrade and the introduction of the Baltic region’s first battery‑train charging station. CEO Vytis Žalimas highlighted that Rail Baltica will push electrification to 38%,...
A 36‑million‑euro rail freight terminal intended for Paris’s Rungis International Market has been abandoned after Rail Logistics Europe, the parent of the planned operator VIIA, withdrew its involvement. The decision, made last year but only disclosed following a media inquiry,...
Tunnelling work on HS2’s Old Oak Common‑to‑Euston section has resumed, marking the first major construction activity after years of cost overruns and political uncertainty. The project will install 48,294 concrete ring segments and extract more than 1.5 million tonnes of spoil,...
Sweden’s transport authority Trafikverket has awarded two design‑and‑build contracts for the Ostlänken high‑speed railway, covering 60 km of the 160 km line between Järna and Skavsta. Hochtief Infrastructure will construct the Vagnhärad section while Bouygues Travaux Publics will handle the Skavsta segment,...
Additive manufacturing is projected to generate $110 billion in market impact by 2034, up from $24.5 billion in 2025, according to AM Research. The forecast draws on more than ten years of historical data and covers metal and polymer parts across eight...
The article argues that many procurement teams lack the data needed to identify their best suppliers, despite the strategic importance of supplier performance. It proposes a three‑step framework—clear KPIs, right data sources, and business‑intelligence tooling—to modernize supplier evaluation. By centralizing...
The XG5000 PLC program implements a three‑floor cargo elevator that moves one floor at a time using up and down push‑buttons. Limit‑switch sensors on each floor provide position feedback, while a latched SYSTEM_ON memory bit keeps the controller active after...
In 2026, supply chain leaders are scrambling to fill niche, tech‑driven roles as digitalization accelerates. AI‑powered job‑search tools have become indispensable, offering resume optimization and targeted outreach, but misuse can hurt candidacy. The article advises job seekers on leveraging AI...
Third‑party logistics (3PL) outsourcing is emerging as the preferred model for scaling warehouse operations amid surging freight volumes driven by e‑commerce. Purpose‑built 3PL facilities combine high‑speed infrastructure, real‑time inventory technology, and trained staff to keep inventory moving efficiently. Flexible capacity...
The Yard Area Rail Decongestion and Safety (YARDS) project will rehabilitate rail yards on five lines across four states, consolidating them under OmniTRAX Holdings. The $51.194 million effort is funded primarily by a $40.955 million CRISI grant, supplemented by a $10.239 million local...
Comact has deployed Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk Logix Echo to emulate 48 ControlLogix 5580 processors, expanding its testing capacity far beyond the limits of physical hardware. The virtual environment costs roughly one‑tenth of traditional PLC racks, delivering a scalable, cost‑effective platform for sawmill...
Network Rail has finished a £4 million upgrade programme on Scotland’s Inverclyde line, reinforcing bridges, retaining walls and platform structures. The eight‑day, two‑weekend engineering effort replaced the River Gryffe bridge deck and repaired steel components at multiple sites. Modern, durable materials...
DHL Group announced a €2 billion strategic investment to expand its Life Sciences & Healthcare air‑freight cold‑chain network. The rollout adds more than 30 GDP‑compliant aviation hubs and a dedicated Boeing 777F route between Brussels and Cincinnati, linking Europe’s life‑science cluster...
Dry van and refrigerated spot rates slipped week‑over‑week, with dry van down about 6 cents and reefer down roughly 17 cents, yet both remain 22‑33% above last year. Flatbed spot rates, by contrast, posted modest gains of just over 4 cents and are...
The Gordie Howe Bridge, a Canada‑financed toll crossing linking Detroit and Ontario, is slated to open this year as an alternative to the congested Ambassador Bridge. President Trump has threatened to block the launch unless the U.S. federal government acquires...
The Transportation Marketing & Sales Association (TMSA) is positioning itself as the premier career accelerator for logistics sales and marketing professionals. It has introduced a five‑track, "track‑based" education model that matches learning to specific roles, from company leaders to practitioners....
John Crane announced its support for NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission, slated for launch no earlier than February 2026. The company will supply specialized filtration sieves for the Orion spacecraft’s propellant‑management devices, critical for separating liquid and gas phases in micro‑gravity. This...
GTR Africa, the premier trade, supply chain, infrastructure and commodity finance conference, returns to Cape Town for its 20th edition on 12‑13 March 2026. The event, hosted at CTICC 2, follows a record 2025 attendance of over 700 delegates and will...
ABB announced its Automation Extended program, a strategic evolution of its distributed control systems that lets customers modernize without interrupting operations. The initiative builds on the long‑standing ABB Ability System 800xA platform, now released as version 7.0 with a separation‑of‑concerns...
India's navy has begun seizing shadow‑fleet oil tankers within its exclusive economic zone, capturing three vessels since early February. The shadow fleet, a network of roughly 1,000 de‑commissioned tankers, moves 3‑4 million barrels of sanctioned crude daily from Russia, Iran...
Union Pacific’s Engineering Rail Gang 9001 finished an eight‑mile rail‑replacement project in Arizona in just 16 days, showcasing the speed of the Class I’s $3.3 billion 2026 infrastructure program. The crew deployed 24 pieces of heavy equipment and employed a rail‑heating technique to...
AutomationDirect has expanded its catalog with Weidmuller stripping, cutting and crimping tools, including the all‑in‑one STRIPAX PLUS 2.5 that merges cutting, stripping and ferrule crimping. The tools feature automatic ferrule feeding, adjustable stops, replaceable blades and specialty screwdrivers for tight‑space...
Logistics leaders argue that digitalising supply chains must begin with clear business questions, not a rush to buy sensors or trackers. The article stresses building a digital overlay that standardises labels, IDs and data formats before any hardware is deployed....
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has named the I‑294/I‑290/I‑88 interchange in Chicago the most congested truck bottleneck in the United States, overtaking Fort Lee, New Jersey. The 15th annual Top Truck Bottleneck List, based on 2025 GPS‑based truck data, shows...
British Steel has landed an eight‑figure contract to supply 36,000 tonnes of 60E2 rail for Turkey’s new 599‑km Ankara‑İzmir high‑speed line. The order, backed by UK Export Finance, triggers 24/7 production at the Scunthorpe plant for the first time in...
On February 26, a one‑hour webcast titled “From Systems of Engagement to Systems of Action: The Agentic CPO” will explore how Agentic AI is reshaping procurement. Speakers Andrew Bartolini of Ardent Partners and Saquib Jawed of Zycus will explain the...
2026 opens with heightened supply‑chain volatility as markets grapple with tight capacity, an early Chinese New Year, and the Red Sea’s tentative reopening. Geopolitical fragmentation, lingering trade‑policy uncertainty and economic instability force shippers to rethink tender timing and rate‑locking strategies....
AGX Freight abruptly shut down after a dispute with Huntington Bank, leaving an estimated hundreds to a thousand carrier partners unpaid. The broker pledged its receivables to the lender, effectively giving the bank first claim on any incoming payments. Within...
In this inaugural episode, Elaine Lafitte explains why AI will not replace consulting procurement but can serve as a powerful sparring partner that structures information, surfaces hidden assumptions, and forces disciplined questioning. She highlights that buying consulting is fundamentally a...
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party captured a two‑thirds majority in the lower house, giving Prime Minister Fumio Takahashi a strong personal mandate and near‑total legislative control. The win enables swift policy action, including the start of constitutional amendment proceedings to...
Knorr Bremse has entered a strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services to fast‑track its AI transformation, leveraging AWS cloud and AI services to modernise technology, processes and organisational structures. The collaboration introduces an AI operating model, autonomous industrial solutions and a...
SAP Ariba announced a next‑gen, AI‑native Source‑to‑Pay suite slated for launch in February 2026. The platform is being rebuilt on SAP Business Technology Platform with open APIs, introducing Joule agents that automate bid analysis, RFI summarization, and contract insight. A unified...
Hitachi Rail and Bane NOR have commissioned a Hitachi L90‑5 electronic interlocking at the Hove stabling facility on Norway’s Dovre Line near Lillehammer. The system digitises points, signals and level crossings, replacing legacy hardware to improve operational reliability and increase passenger‑service...
The Bureau of International Recycling’s World Mirror report shows U.S. recycled‑steel prices rising as winter storms forced yard closures, tightening obsolete scrap inflows and bolstering export demand. Japan’s prices also firmed amid weak scrap generation and a depreciating yen. In...
Global GSA Group has become Alaska Airlines' General Sales & Service Agent for cargo on a new Rome‑Seattle route launching in late April. Daily Boeing 787‑9 flights will connect Italy to Alaska's Seattle hub, opening access to over 100 U.S.,...
Network Airline Management (NAM) executed its largest Valentine’s peak, moving 3,100 tonnes of fresh cut flowers from Nairobi to Liège over two weeks. The carrier operated 31 dedicated Boeing 747F flights, including 16 scheduled services and a record 15 extra...
Xeneta’s January 2026 schedule reliability scorecard shows global on‑time arrivals slipping to 29%, the lowest since mid‑2025. Average delay severity increased to 3.7‑4.2 days at berth, while key trades such as Africa (20% on‑time) and Europe‑North America (32%) suffered double‑digit...
The article introduces the "Value Stick" as a pragmatic framework for testing a company’s winning logic, blending operational excellence (OpEx/Lean) with digital growth methods. It focuses on four levers—Willingness to Pay, Price, Cost, and Quantity—to assess whether a strategy can...
Saudia Cargo reported moving 573,000 tonnes of freight across roughly 4,000 flights in 2025, with exports totaling 15,000 tonnes and on‑time performance above 90%. The carrier secured a lease for two Airbus A330‑300F freighters for delivery in 2026 and launched...
The 2026 FedEx and UPS General Rate Increases both headline a 5.9% base‑rate hike, but the report shows that minimum‑charge adjustments, accessorial fees, fuel surcharges and off‑cycle rate changes add significant hidden costs. By juxtaposing domestic, international and ground services,...
The Financial Times opinion piece argues that the United States increasingly overlooks the strategic value of the United Nations, treating the body as a bureaucratic relic rather than a vital platform for multilateral problem‑solving. It highlights how U.S. disengagement erodes...
Railway Supply Institute (RSI) abruptly dismissed President Jim Riley after just under a year in the role, citing the need for a leadership change amid a volatile economic and geopolitical environment. Board Chair Greg Dalpe announced the decision and praised...
Lisa DeNight, Newmark’s North American Industrial Research head, discussed a rebound in industrial real estate as manufacturers seek new facilities. The National Association of Manufacturers highlighted chronic infrastructure underinvestment, linking highway congestion to higher freight costs. A recent Infios survey...
