Today's Supply Chain Pulse
Oman transit corridor revives India’s West Asia trade
India’s May 2026 exports to West Asia rebounded to $5.30 billion after a sharp March dip, thanks to a new transit corridor through Oman’s Sohar, Salalah and Duqm ports that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The recovery was led by the UAE, where shipments rose 3.18% year‑on‑year, and Saudi Arabia, which also saw notable gains.
Also developing:
By the numbers: GIA acquires 30% stake in De Beers' Tracr blockchain platform
CMA CGM Adjusts BAF on France–Tunisia Ro-Ro Service
CMA CGM will revise its Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) for the ro‑ro South service linking France and Tunisia, effective May 1 2026. The new surcharge sets full rolling units at €649 (≈$708) per unit, empty units at €430 (≈$469), other rolling cargo at €73 (≈$80) per lane‑meter, passenger cars and minivans at €248 (≈$270) per unit, and breakbulk at €41 (≈$45) per cubic metre. The adjustment follows recent spikes in bunker fuel prices and is intended to sustain efficiency and profitability on the intra‑Europe corridor. Both import and export shipments will be subject to the new rates.
New ISO Standards Bring Clarity to Chain of Custody
The International Organization for Standardization released ISO 22095‑2 and ISO 22095‑3, expanding the ISO 22095 framework to provide concrete operational requirements for the mass‑balance and book‑and‑claim chain‑of‑custody models. These standards harmonize how companies account for recycled, renewable, or otherwise certified material throughout complex,...
Andelyn Partners with S. Korea-Based ENCell to Accelerate Global Delivery of Gene Therapies
Andelyn Biosciences and South Korea’s ENCell have signed a collaboration to create a dual‑hemisphere manufacturing bridge between the United States and the Asia‑Pacific region. The agreement leverages both firms’ GMP facilities, viral vector expertise and regional networks to accelerate development,...
The Tariff Refund Process Has Begun for Businesses. What About Customers?
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has launched an online portal to begin refunding $166 billion in tariff revenue, but refunds are paid to the importer of record, not directly to consumers. Shipping giants DHL, FedEx and UPS said they will...
Wednesday Afternoon News Updates: Iran Seizes Ships as Trump Flails — 4/22/26
President Trump’s approval rating slipped to 33% overall and 30% on the economy, the lowest levels since Nixon’s resignation. Iran demonstrated its naval reach by seizing two commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and warned it could target undersea...
HP Chief Commercial Officer: Memory Crunch Unlikely To Ease For ‘Many’ Quarters, ‘Creative’ Offsets Available
HP’s chief commercial officer Dave McQuarrie said the company is now able to honor 30‑day price quotes despite a memory‑chip price surge of roughly 100% quarter‑over‑quarter. The memory crunch, driven by AI‑related data‑center demand, is expected to persist for many...
On Energy, Our Supply Chains NOT Keeping Up
U.S. energy production reached unprecedented levels in 2025, with crude oil output climbing to 13.6 million barrels per day and natural‑gas output hitting nearly 109 billion cubic feet per day. These figures make the United States the world’s largest energy producer by...
Powering the Arsenal: CSIS Warns Energy Could Limit U.S. War Production
The Center for Strategic and International Studies warns that the United States’ defense‑industrial surge could be throttled by regional energy shortfalls, not a lack of total power. A CSIS brief estimates a full‑scale war would need about 17.4 petajoules of...
GAO to USDOT: Report to Congress on Multimodal Freight Office Progress
The Government Accountability Office has urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to resume regular congressional reporting on its Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy, a unit created by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to coordinate freight across...
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...
Edison: Qatar to Extend Gas Force Majeure, U.S. LNG Filling Gap
Italian utility Edison warned that Qatar may keep its LNG force majeure in place beyond mid‑June, after the Gulf supplier cancelled ten cargoes totaling 1.4 billion cubic metres. To bridge the shortfall, Edison secured seven cargoes from U.S. exporters, effectively substituting...
Rivian Begins Production of Second EV with R2 Deliveries Coming in Q2
Rivian has started production of its second vehicle, the R2 compact SUV, at the Normal, Illinois plant. The R2, positioned against the Tesla Model Y, delivers up to 656 horsepower, 0‑60 mph in 3.6 seconds and an estimated 345‑mile range....
Raytheon Secures $3.7 Billion Contract to Supply Patriot GEM-T Interceptors to Ukraine
Raytheon, an RTX subsidiary, secured a $3.7 billion contract in April 2026 to supply Patriot GEM‑T interceptor missiles to Ukraine, with financing from the German government. The missiles will be produced at a new Raytheon‑MBDA joint‑venture plant in Schrobenhausen, Germany, intended...
Sonoco Details Cost Management Strategies as Input Expenses Rise
Sonoco announced that its three‑year transformation is complete and outlined cost‑management tactics as input prices surge. In Q1 2026 the company posted $1.68 B in net sales, $68 M net income and delivered $8 M of cost savings, primarily from structural changes. It...
New Methods Could Ship Alberta Bitumen Without Pipelines
How Alberta Bitumen Could Bypass Pipelines Entirely Economist Richard Masson explains new approaches to shipping bitumen to market. #ableg #abpoli #oilsands https://youtu.be/Hr6wDz-_hXo
Used-Truck Purchasing Heating Up: Pricing Offers Mixed Signals in Latest Data
Used‑truck purchasing accelerated in March, with same‑dealer Class 8 sales up 9.1% month‑over‑month, the strongest volume in nearly five years. Retail average price held steady at $55,591, flat from February but modestly lower year‑over‑year. Auction volume surged 25% MoM, outpacing retail...
Washington, Tennessee National Guard Modernizes Bulgarian Land Forces with Strykers
The Washington National Guard transferred eight Stryker infantry fighting vehicles to the Bulgarian Land Forces, marking the first delivery of a 183‑vehicle modernization program approved by Bulgaria’s parliament in 2023. The hand‑over, coordinated through the Foreign Military Sales office, included...
BEML, EPHL Secure Indian Orders for Trawl Assembly Tank Equipment
The Indian Ministry of Defence awarded contracts worth roughly Rs 9.75 bn (about $104 m) to Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Electro Pneumatics and Hydraulics (India) Pvt Ltd (EPHL) for trawl‑assembly kits for T‑72 and T‑90 tanks. BEML’s portion is Rs 5.9 bn (≈$63 m) and EPHL’s is...
The Strait Just Called His Bluff
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized two container ships—MSC Francesca and Epaminondas—and disabled a third, the Euphoria, in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, 2026. The incident directly contradicts recent U.S. statements that Iran’s navy has been destroyed,...
ENCY Hyper Gets a Major Update for Hybrid Robot Programming, Mixed-Brand Cells, and 3D Vision
ENCY Software unveiled a major update to its ENCY Hyper hybrid robot programming platform, merging offline design with live robot control. The upgrade adds support for over 30 robot brands, including SCARA models, and integrates RealSense 3D vision for surface...
Rand 3D Highlights Scalable PLM Adoption Strategies at PTC/USER Global Summit 2026
Rand 3D, a division of Rand Worldwide, will act as a Silver Sponsor at the PTC/USER Global Summit in Las Vegas, showcasing its PLM adoption framework at Booth #36. The company will co‑present a case study with Doosan Bobcat North...
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...
Breakbulk26: Shippers Urged to Pivot From Typical View of Tariffs, Trade Compliance
At the Journal of Commerce Breakbulk and Project Cargo Conference 2026, industry leaders urged shippers to treat tariffs and trade compliance as strategic, not peripheral, tools. Mance Adams of SLB highlighted that many firms only assess tariffs after contracts are...
Adtran's SDG Router Gets Conditional FCC Approval Amid New Ban on Foreign-Made Routers
Adtran announced that its Service Delivery Gateway (SDG) router portfolio has secured conditional approval from the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, exempting the equipment from the agency’s newly imposed ban on foreign‑made routers until October 1 2027. The clearance lets...
UNCTAD and Singapore Team Up to Green Global Maritime Transport
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority have signed a partnership to fast‑track the shift toward sustainable, resilient maritime transport. The deal leverages Singapore’s port efficiency and UNCTAD’s development expertise to promote...
Rowdy Oxford Unveils Structured Leadership Model to Accelerate Circular Economy in Manufacturing
Rowdy Oxford, a two‑decade veteran of military, emergency management and industrial development, presented a structured leadership pathway for circular‑economy transformation in manufacturing. His three‑stage model stresses non‑negotiable cultural and technological prerequisites, ambidextrous leadership, and a staged rollout from pilot to...
5 Ways to Protect Medical Devices in Transit
The article outlines five operational disciplines to safeguard medical devices during shipment, emphasizing engineered shock protection, moisture sealing, internal inventory visibility, strict custody‑chain enforcement, and case standardization. It highlights that improper packaging leads to high non‑compliance rates—often exceeding 40%—and costly...
US Eyes Strait of Malacca as New Strategic Chokepoint
We talk a lot about a Taiwan scenario, but are we ready for a Strait of Malacca scenario? "A shipping route that carries roughly 40% of global trade and around 80% of China's imported oil, and is regarded as...
EU Faces Costly, Complex Break From US Tech Dominance
With so much of #Europe’s technology provided by a few US tech giants, alongside “troves of sensitive data,” it won’t be easy or cheap for the #EU to wean itself off this digital dependency. Via @MathieuPollet_ & Anouk Schlung @POLITICOEurope https://t.co/WNaVH4mBtt
Ceasefire Deadline Fuels Oil Market Jitters as US‑Iran Talks Stall in Islamabad
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he will not extend the two‑week ceasefire with Iran, while Iran’s chief negotiator warned against talks under threat. The standoff threatens to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, keeping oil markets on edge as the...
NX Group Acquires Metro Supply Chain for $1.3B
Congrats to Metro Supply Chain on their sale to NX GROUP. NX paid close to $1.3B (USD) to gain an extensive warehouse-based supply chain network focused on Canada and the US. Expect to see more cross border M&A in 2026! https://t.co/UzwMktsJzb
Premier's Puzzling Plan: Two New Ports North of Prince Rupert
Two ports *north* of Prince Rupert? Stewart is too small, so what is the Premier thinking here?
5 Fuel Shocks, 5 Very Different Endings: What History Tells Us About This One
Jet fuel prices have doubled in eight weeks, creating a severe cost shock for airlines that see fuel as 20‑30% of expenses. The surge is linked to geopolitical tensions, especially the war in Iran, and looming supply constraints in Europe...
US Boarding Threatens Iran-China Oil Shadow Fleet
Secretive Shipments of Iranian Oil to China Are Under Threat by U.S.—Boarding of tanker raises risk for sanctions-evading ‘shadow fleet’ @austinramzy @RebeccaYFeng https://t.co/5rcMcxUf3Y https://t.co/5rcMcxUf3Y
China's 'Flash' Robot Wins Half‑Marathon, Showcasing AI‑Powered Industrial Automation
China’s humanoid robot Flash crossed the finish line of the 2026 Beijing E‑Town half‑marathon in 50 minutes 26 seconds, beating the human world record. The win underscores rapid advances in AI‑driven sensor data, edge computing and analytics that are reshaping...
Home Depot Acquires SIMPL Automation to Speed Up Same‑Day Delivery
Home Depot announced the acquisition of Waltham‑based SIMPL Automation, a warehouse‑automation specialist that uses AI and high‑density storage to speed order fulfillment. The move is designed to tighten the retailer’s same‑day and next‑day delivery promise as rivals like Walmart and...
The AI Economy Runs on Helium. The Iran War Just Created a $650 Billion Problem
Moody’s Ratings warns that the Iran‑Israel conflict has disrupted Qatar’s Ras Laffan helium plant, creating a $650 billion supply‑chain risk for the AI economy. Helium, essential for wafer cooling, carrier gas and leak detection in semiconductor fabs, has no industrial substitute. The...
Ocean Shipping Surcharges Spurred by Iran War Weigh on Contract Talks
Ocean carriers are adding fuel surcharges and higher rates as the Iran‑triggered closure of the Strait of Hormuz pushes oil prices up. Shippers negotiating new ocean‑shipping contracts are grappling with these extra costs, while the Federal Maritime Commission has pushed...
FDA PreCheck Pilot Program Structure
The FDA PreCheck Pilot Program is a two‑phase initiative aimed at speeding the launch of new U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing sites. Phase 1 delivers early engagement through Pre‑Operational Reviews and the creation of a Type V Drug Master File that documents facility design,...
How Firms Should React to Rivalry Between America and China in Critical Minerals
The United States and China are intensifying a strategic contest over critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, rare earths and graphite, reshaping trade, industrial policy and supply chains. China currently dominates processing of rare earths and a majority of lithium,...
India Decides to Import 2.5 Million Tonnes of Urea at $935 & $959/Tonne
India’s import agency Indian Potash (IPL) approved the purchase of 2.5 million tonnes of urea at $935 per tonne for the West Coast and $959 per tonne for the East Coast. The contract was awarded to five firms—Aditya Birla Global Trading,...
Hormuz Closure Cripples India's Energy, Fuels Worker Protests
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked energy supplies to India, upending the dreams of assembly-line workers and sparking large labor protests. https://t.co/qA5MhKmLRP via @WSJ
GSSA of the Year Award Open for Entry
The Air Cargo News Awards have opened entries for the 2026 GSSA of the Year category, sponsored by Etihad Cargo. The award targets ground service suppliers that have launched new products, services, or significant investments in the past year, emphasizing...
Breakbulk26: Repeated Global Crises Force Carriers to Adopt Strategies for Uncertainty
Breakbulk and project cargo carriers at the Journal of Commerce conference warned that global crises have turned uncertainty into a permanent condition. Executives cited COVID‑19, the Suez Canal blockage, Red Sea attacks, the Baltimore bridge collapse and Panama Canal drought...
The Modular Mandate to Future-Proof Packaging Automation
The packaging automation market is projected to reach $140.8 billion by 2033, prompting machine builders to embed modular, flexible designs. Physical modularity paired with intelligent software ensures seamless line reconfiguration and traceability. Industry events like Pack Expo 2026 highlighted AI‑driven flexibility as...
PACIFIC Enables Multi-Tenant, Sovereign Product Carbon Footprint Exchange on the Catena-X Data Space Using AWS
BASF and CircularTree launched PACIFIC, a multi‑tenant SaaS platform that automates product carbon footprint (PCF) exchange on the Catena‑X data space using AWS services. The solution leverages Amazon ECS on Fargate, Cognito, IAM and Secrets Manager to provide tenant‑level data...
Charity Urges Seafarers Not to Run Hormuz Gauntlet as Attacks Escalate
The Seafarers’ Charity has warned crews against transiting the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces attacked three container ships on 22 April, intensifying a wave of assaults on commercial vessels. The International Maritime Organization and the International Transport Workers' Federation echoed...
The Perfect Interview – A Practical Guide
The interview series spotlights supply‑chain leader Corey Weekes on today’s logistics landscape, the accelerating role of artificial intelligence, and actionable advice for early‑career professionals. A parallel conversation with a procurement executive highlights how governance frameworks will tighten by 2026. The...
Norfolk Southern Building a Merged Railroad the STB Hasn’t Approved Yet
Norfolk Southern announced it will lease its Doraville, Georgia rail corridor and transload terminal to Jaguar Transport Holdings. Jaguar will take over local switching, operate the terminal and fund infrastructure upgrades to handle higher freight volumes. The arrangement is presented...
Carriers’ Handling of Fuel Surcharges Agitates Small, Midsize Trans-Pac Shippers
Small and midsize trans‑Pacific shippers are raising concerns over ocean carriers’ handling of bunker‑fuel surcharges. Many carriers are insisting on open‑ended emergency surcharge clauses that lack clear exit triggers, making it hard for shippers to compare pricing across lines. The...