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 dip, thanks to a new transit corridor through Oman’s Sohar, Salalah and Duqm ports that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The routing restored trade levels to near‑year‑on‑year levels, driven by higher shipments from the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Also developing:
By the numbers: GIA acquires 30% stake in De Beers' Tracr blockchain platform
BMW Deploys Hexagon’s AEON Humanoid Robots on Spartanburg EV Line, Targeting 30,000‑Vehicle Scale
BMW announced a pilot of Hexagon Robotics' AEON humanoid robots on its Spartanburg, South Carolina, electric‑vehicle assembly line. The robots, which previously helped produce more than 30,000 vehicles, will now be tested in real‑time production and later rolled out to the Leipzig plant, signaling a shift toward collaborative, AI‑driven automation in automotive manufacturing.
Ankeri Expands to Singapore
Ankeri announced the opening of a new office in Singapore, extending its global footprint beyond Reykjavik and Hamburg. The Singapore location targets the Asia‑Pacific market, where many operational and commercial shipping decisions are made. By establishing a local presence, Ankeri...
EU Transport Chief Says ‘No Need’ to Curb Fuel Use Despite Supply Fears
EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said there is no need to curb fuel demand even as the war in Gaza and a near‑two‑month closure of the Strait of Hormuz have added roughly $540 million a day to EU energy costs and...
A Drop of 300-400 Thousand Barrels per Day. How Are Ukrainian Attacks Damaging Russian Oil Exports?
Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian ports and refineries forced a sharp cut in crude output, dropping production by 300,000‑400,000 barrels per day in April—the steepest decline in six years. The attacks hit key export hubs in Leningrad Oblast, Primorsk on...
Volkswagen to Cut Production Capacity By 1 Million Cars a Year, CEO Oliver Blume Says
Volkswagen announced it will trim its annual production capacity by one million units, dropping from over 12 million to 9 million vehicles. The cut, driven by a shift toward higher margins and resilience, will affect both Volkswagen and Audi plants in Europe...
Vance Delay Extends Ceasefire Talks, Pressures Trump
more delays on vp vance traveling to islamabad. but negotiations on core issues still proceeding, just pushes trump on extending out (or not breaching) ceasefire.
L3Harris Awarded $65m Contract for ATACMS Solid Rocket Motors
L3Harris Technologies has won a contract exceeding $65 million to produce M124 solid‑rocket motors, igniters, and related components for the U.S. Army’s ATACMS missile system, with deliveries slated for 2027‑28. The award builds on three decades of ATACMS support from L3Harris’s...
Amazon Filed a WARN Notice to Lay Off 616 Workers at Its Homestead, Florida Warehouse, Which It Plans to Close...
Amazon filed a WARN notice indicating it will lay off about 616 employees at its Homestead, Florida fulfillment center as the site closes temporarily for a multi‑year renovation. The layoffs will begin in early July and run through September, with...
ECRI Spins Off Supply Tech Company
ECRI has spun off its healthcare spend and recall management unit into a new independent company called Staritas. Staritas will deliver data‑driven supply chain intelligence, leveraging AI and real‑time analytics used by nearly 90% of top U.S. hospitals and providers...
Agentic Environment Uses AI to Accelerate Decision-Making
Emerson is embedding virtualization and AI across its DeltaV distributed control system, with half of its software now virtualized and AI‑enabled. The DeltaV Edge Environment hosts containerized and VM‑based applications, delivering real‑time operational technology data to enterprise users. AI tools...
Amazon Uses X-Ray Scanners to Scrutinize Product Returns
Amazon’s largest European returns center in Slovakia, spanning 60,000 sqm and employing up to 3,000 staff, uses X‑ray scanners, machine‑learning algorithms and drone test rooms to evaluate returned products. The facility’s 3.8 km of conveyor belts automatically classifies items into new‑condition resale,...
Local Parts Inventory & Refreshed Maintenance Program Among Several Customer-Focused Updates at ExOne
ExOne Global Holdings announced a suite of customer‑focused updates, including the start of Spectra Mono‑Z printhead production and a local parts inventory in Detroit, a transparent annual price list, a refreshed three‑tier maintenance program, and free 24/7 live phone support...
Mercedes-Benz Secures Multi-Year EV Battery Supply Deal with Samsung SDI
Mercedes‑Benz announced a multi‑year supply agreement with Samsung SDI to provide high‑energy nickel‑manganese‑cobalt (NCM) batteries for its upcoming electric models. The partnership, unveiled alongside the all‑new electric C‑Class in Seoul, includes joint development of next‑generation battery technology. Samsung SDI will supply its...
U.S. Forces Board Sanctioned Tanker in Indian Ocean as Iran Crackdown Expands Beyond Hormuz
U.S. forces conducted a right‑of‑visit boarding of the stateless tanker Tifani in the Indian Ocean, marking the first interdiction of a sanctioned Iran‑linked vessel outside the Persian Gulf. The ship, falsely flying a Botswana flag, had loaded roughly 2 million barrels...
Aisin Contract Manufacturing Mazda 6-Speed Auto Transmission in US
Aisin announced it has started contract manufacturing of Mazda's new six‑speed automatic transmission at its Aisin Drivetrain, Inc. (ADI) plant in Crothersville, Indiana. The Indiana facility will produce the transmission for the North American market, leveraging Aisin's established drivetrain expertise....
South China Sea Becomes a Contested One
China has accelerated its military buildup across the South China Sea and into the Western Pacific, turning what was once a territorial dispute into a strategic effort to dictate commercial shipping routes. New Chinese directives limit how merchant vessels navigate...
Why Is Trump So Desperate To Secure The Strait of Hormuz?
The blog argues that former President Donald Trump is pursuing control of the Strait of Hormuz as a private citizen, hoping to profit from tokenized trade along a proposed IMEC corridor. It claims the effort is being funded with taxpayer...
Late Payments Crackdown: What It Means for Advisers and Their Clients
The UK Department for Business and Trade is set to introduce legislation that forces large companies to pay suppliers within 60 days and empowers the Small Business Commissioner to investigate and fine repeat offenders. Late payments, already a systemic risk...
GasEntec Secures Contract for LNG Terminal in Senegal
GasEntec has been awarded a contract by ELTON Logistics to build a jetty‑based LNG regasification terminal in Dakar, Senegal. The facility will include a 137,000 m³ storage tank, two 15 km subsea pipelines and ten truck‑loading bays, feeding the country’s largest 300 MW...
Ultrabulk Handymax Makes First Transatlantic Biomass Delivery
Ultra Yorkshire, an Ultrabulk handymax carrier, completed its first transatlantic voyage delivering 29,000 tonnes of biomass pellets from Baton Rouge to Liverpool for Drax Power Station. The trip used B100 biofuel, cutting CO₂ emissions by roughly 90 % versus conventional marine fuel....
US Says It Intercepted ‘Stateless Sanctioned’ Oil Vessel in Asia-Pacific, Amid Iran Crackdown
The U.S. Department of Defense announced a right‑of‑visit boarding of the orange‑hulled motor tanker M/T Tifani, labeled a “stateless sanctioned” vessel, in the Indo‑Pacific Command’s area of responsibility on April 21. Helicopters landed on the ship without resistance, demonstrating that...
What Is 4PL and Why More Businesses Are Moving Beyond 3PL
Fourth‑Party Logistics (4PL) is gaining traction as companies confront increasingly fragmented global supply chains. Unlike traditional Third‑Party Logistics (3PL) that focus on execution, 4PL providers act as neutral orchestrators, integrating multiple carriers, warehouses, and technology platforms. The 4PL market, valued...
LG Innotek Secures Automotive Wi-Fi 7 Supply Agreement
LG Innotek has landed a $68 million supply deal to provide its automotive Wi‑Fi 7 communication module to an unnamed European parts maker, with mass production slated for 2027. The compact module, roughly one‑sixth the size of a credit card, supports a...
From WCS to Orchestration: The New Operating System for Warehouses
Traditional Warehouse Control Systems (WCS) were built for predictable, deterministic automation, but today’s facilities blend AMRs, AS/RS, vision systems, and variable labor. The industry is moving toward an orchestration layer that makes real‑time decisions about work prioritization, routing, and recovery...
Globe Air Cargo Is New GSSA to airBaltic in UK
Globe Air Cargo UK has signed a General Sales and Service Agreement (GSSA) to manage the belly capacity of airBaltic’s 17 weekly flights from London‑Gatwick to Riga and Tallinn, effective 6 March 2026. The agreement also adds two weekly Aberdeen‑Riga services from...
Bleckmann to Open Another Giant Distribution Centre in UK
Bleckmann announced the opening of a new 761,932‑sq‑ft multi‑client distribution centre in Leicestershire, slated for July 2026. The facility sits in the Midlands’ logistics “golden triangle” and joins existing UK sites in Swindon, Bury St Edmunds, Burton‑on‑Trent, Crick and Corby. Designed...
DHL CEO Warns Gulf Energy Shock Could Push Global Economy Toward a Tipping Point
DHL Group CEO Tobias Meyer warned on Bloomberg TV that a sustained disruption in Gulf crude flows, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, could tighten freight markets and lift transport costs. He noted that the impact is already visible in...
Texas Oil Pipes Are Running All-Out on War-Driven Demand
Texas pipelines moving Permian crude to Gulf Coast export terminals have reached an all‑time high, averaging 5.27 million barrels per day—a 1.5% weekly increase. Some lines, such as the Corpus Christi system, are operating at 102% of their designed capacity as shippers...
US Commercial Tankers Fuel Fleet, Two Stuck in Gulf
At the @NavyLeagueUS SeaAirSpace Expo 2026 listening to Stephen Carmel of @DOTMARAD talking about the crucial role of US commercial tankers from the Tanker Security Program and under charter to @MSCSealift. These tankers, which have been outfitted to conduct Consolidation Operations...
Clean Food Group Raises £4.5M to Bring “World’s Largest” Yeast-Oil Facility to Full Capacity
Clean Food Group (CFG) raised £4.5 million (≈$5.6 million) in a round led by Clean Growth Fund and New Agrarian, plus a £700,000 (≈$875,000) Innovate UK grant, to finish scaling its 1‑million‑litre fermentation site in Knowsley, Liverpool. The plant, billed as the world’s...
Critics Demand Fixes Before Expanding Flawed ACP Program
“We updated the alternative compliance program single supplement and working with the class societies and allowing more ships to be regulated under the ACP,” Captain Compher, USCG Questions aren’t allowed, or I’d ask, before we expand this program, what’s been done...
Supply Chain Blindness Fuels Commodity Scarcity Worldwide
All the while supplies of commodities are running scarce. Neither side seems to understand or care about supply chains and the global effect.
Litmus and InfluxDB Collaborate to Modernize the Industrial Data Stack
InfluxData and Litmus announced a strategic partnership at Hannover Messe to integrate Litmus Edge with InfluxDB 3 Enterprise, creating a unified industrial data stack. The solution bridges OT systems to modern IT, delivering real‑time, high‑resolution telemetry with edge buffering and centralized analytics....
500‑Page AI Lawsuits Flood Trucking Industry This Year
You should see the 500+ page AI slop lawsuits in trucking that are all the rage this year
Diverse Storage Tech Thwarts China's Supply Chain Dominance
The sheer range of technologies for long duration storage could make it hard for China to dominate the supply chain. https://t.co/91YChhaEzP
USPS Preps Phased Approach for New Package Dimension Reporting Rules
The U.S. Postal Service will expand its package dimension reporting to all shipments on July 12, 2026, but will postpone non‑compliance fees until a second phase early next year. Currently, only parcels over 1 cubic foot or 22 inches require dimensions, with...
Nations Squeezed: US Pressure vs Beijing Warning on Supply Chains
Many countries are caught in a vise: Washington wants them to strip Chinese content from their supply chains, and Beijing is warning them not to. @Lingling_Wei https://t.co/LilGzuOzlf https://t.co/LilGzuOzlf
Red Cat Lands US Air Force Black Widow Drone Contract
Red Cat Holdins $RCAT large drone win for $RCAT accdg to The US Air Force is purchasing Black Widow drones manufactured by Teal Drones (a Red Cat subsidiary) for feeding live targeting data directly to airborne F-35 fighters. https://t.co/HJrKPkG4tr
Navigating PCR Procurement? A New Tool Could Help.
The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) has launched a Post‑Consumer Recycled (PCR) Material Demand Hub to streamline domestic sourcing of recycled packaging materials. The platform aggregates directories, roadmaps, Q&A guides and certification resources for paper, plastic and aluminum, targeting both private...
Harsh Tactics Boost Chinese Self‑reliance, Risk Western Relevance
"Every blunt instrument applied accelerates Chinese indigenization, strains allied relationships, and narrows the window in which Western equipment remains indispensable." Those advocating for MATCH Act taking narrow view, ignoring massive collateral damage. https://t.co/98q7VvFemB
Firms Caught Between US Push and China Warning
US wants China out of upstream supply chains. China warns against it. When trust of both parties is thin, what do firms do.? Geopolitics and war? Taiwan. Where and what is next? Supply chain alignment vs fluidity. Welcome to the...
Will Ryanair Have to Follow Aer Lingus and Cut Flights?
Aer Lingus announced the cancellation of 430 summer flights, citing mandatory aircraft maintenance, but industry observers suspect soaring jet‑fuel prices and supply worries are the real drivers. The move comes as European carriers such as KLM and Lufthansa also trim schedules...
Cargill Launches Operational Canola Crush Plant in Regina
Cargill's new canola crush plant at Regina is officially up and running. Chat with Cargill VP Laura Hatcher: https://t.co/NkSCSzRmDk
China’s Rare Earth Export Decline Exposes Deal Fragility
China. Drop in exports to the US. Rare earth minerals. What happened to the deal with China? The art of the quick “deal” meets political reality.
From Handshakes to Shovels in the Ground: How the EU Can Reset Its Minerals Diplomacy
The European Union’s push to secure critical minerals is hampered by a gap between diplomatic agreements and on‑the‑ground investment. While the EU has signed 15 strategic partnerships and launched the Critical Raw Materials Act, China still controls processing for 19...
More Carrier-Controlled Terminal Operations Could Be Coming to the East Coast
Cargo moving through East Coast ports is increasingly shifting toward carrier‑controlled terminal operations, a trend accelerated by recent successes at the Port of New York and New Jersey. Industry analysts say the model could soon appear at historically state‑run hubs...
Logistics Giant Linfox Powers 16 EV Chargers, 2.3 MW
Electric vehicle uptake has spread much, much further than you'd think. This is a goEV site, for logistics heavyweight Linfox, 2.3MW total, 16 chargers. I think I'll start highlighting these cases every day, would that interest you? 📌 Laverton North (Melbourne), Australia. https://t.co/W3kj5PEXDx
SEA Cautions on Longer-Term Impact of Geopolitical Volatility in Edible Oil Sector
The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India warned that ongoing geopolitical volatility in the Gulf, especially the US‑Iran conflict, could have lasting effects on the country’s edible‑oil sector. Disruptions to shipping routes have lifted freight rates and, together with a 50‑60%...
Why Inventory Accuracy Issues Start Before the Warehouse
Inventory accuracy problems often surface in the distribution center, but the root causes usually lie upstream in item master setup, packaging logic, units of measure, and supplier compliance. Poor data in the item master travels through receiving, put‑away, and picking,...
China Will Undermine U.S. War Logistics, Not Fight Navy
“China knows if they go toe to toe with the US Navy they will lose. What that will do instead is attack the underpinnings, the abilitied of the U.S. military to conduct conflict at all. And that's us,” Steve Carmel,...