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 Manufacturing Connection released podcast episode 275, titled “Why AI in Manufacturing? Why not?” The host explores how emerging AI tools can augment knowledge work and manufacturing, while stressing the need for hands‑on experimentation to discover effective use cases. The discussion also examines the inherent limits of text‑based large language models, especially when applied to analog environments like household robotics, and references researcher Yann LeCun’s insights on multi‑model systems. The episode is sponsored by Inductive Automation and invites listeners to subscribe via podcast platforms or YouTube.
Aston Precision, a Melbourne‑based metal fabricator, grew from a spare bedroom startup to a key supplier for construction, machinery and Amazon within three years. The founder installed the MRPeasy ERP system before securing a warehouse, completing the initial setup in...
ClassNK has granted both a Manufacturing Procedure Approval and a Type Approval for KOBELCO Wire Company's new semi‑parallel wire cable (SPWC), marking the society’s first endorsement of this corrosion‑resistant product. The cable features 7 mm galvanized steel wires coated in polyethylene,...
Emerson introduced the Branson™ Polaris Ultrasonic Welding Platform, a highly configurable system that can be assembled from a benchtop prototype to a fully automated production line. The platform combines modular power supplies, controllers and actuators with real‑time software control, enabling...
Environmental researchers and supply‑chain analysts warn that the proposed Peru‑Brazil Bioceanic Railway, linked to the new Chancay megaport, could cut through 15 protected Amazon areas and disrupt nearly 2,000 rural communities, raising both ecological and logistical concerns. The project, still...
Fast, ultra‑quick delivery has become a hallmark of e‑commerce, but the last‑mile—where drivers make multiple stops and race against tight windows—accounts for roughly half of a shipment’s carbon footprint. Studies show that delaying a package by three to four days...
Federal acquisition still averages an 18‑month cycle, a strategic vulnerability as adversaries iterate faster. New AI agent swarms can ingest FAR updates, cross‑reference CPARS, and map vendor capacity in milliseconds, rewriting the data‑centric layer of procurement. AI already compresses market...
TD SYNNEX Corp. posted a first‑quarter profit of $327 million, up 95% from a year earlier, and revenue of $17.16 billion, an 18.1% rise. The company also lifted its second‑quarter outlook, forecasting net income of $234‑$274 million and revenue of $16.1‑$16.9 billion, underscoring momentum...
The Australian government has published 18 initial Consumer Energy Resource (CER) device requirements to steer design and manufacturing of solar inverters, battery storage and electric‑vehicle systems. The guidance focuses on interoperability, ensuring devices can communicate across manufacturers and energy providers...
CSIRO says Australia’s abundant graphite resources present a strategic chance to build domestic battery‑grade processing capability. While global demand for lithium‑ion anodes surges with electric‑vehicle growth, about 95% of refining is done in China, leaving a supply‑chain risk. The agency...
Corning and Meta have broken ground on a major expansion of Corning's optical‑fiber manufacturing in Hickory, North Carolina, under a multiyear agreement worth up to $6 billion. The new capacity is expected to lift Corning's North Carolina workforce by 15‑20 percent, creating...
Ingram Micro has incorporated Samsung’s full rugged mX device suite into its Australian distribution lineup, extending coverage of IP68‑rated phones and tablets that meet MIL‑STD‑810H durability standards. The partnership builds on an existing relationship and aims to make these devices...
Datalogic unveiled the AREX400 AF, a fiber‑laser marking system that adds software‑controlled Adjustable Focus, covering a ±20 mm to ±60 mm range. The technology eliminates manual refocusing, allowing instant focus changes via LIGHTER™ 9 software and supporting multi‑level parts in a single cycle. Weighing...
In this episode, Argus senior reporter Denise Cheng talks with ammonia market editor Roof Sharp about the launch of Argus' new China FOB ammonia price assessment and the shifting dynamics of China's ammonia trade. China, once a major importer, is...
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control removed three Russian‑flagged vessels—container ships Fesco Moneron and Fesco Magadan and cargo ship Sv Nikolay—from its Specially Designated Nationals list. The ships, sanctioned in 2022 for ties to state‑linked banks, were delisted...
The D.C. Court of Appeals upheld the Federal Maritime Commission's authority to investigate ocean carriers' export policies and freight rates under the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022. The court rejected the World Shipping Council's challenge to the law's refusal‑to‑deal...
Ocado Intelligent Automation will unveil Ocado IQ at MODEX 2026, a cloud‑based AI platform that directs every pick, path and priority from inbound to outbound. The software powers the Chuck autonomous mobile robot and the newly‑designed Porter pallet‑moving AMR, both...
Sarens partnered with the Atlantic Canada Bulk Terminal (ACBT) in Sydney, Nova Scotia, to convert the steel‑focused port into a dedicated offshore‑wind hub. The engineering team performed a ground stability study and deployed a high‑capacity crawler crane with a Superlift...
New York Harbor briefly became a net diesel exporter as traders shifted ultra‑low sulfur diesel (ULSD) shipments to Europe. A sharp rise in northwest European jet fuel prices created a price arbitrage window, flipping the usual discount relationship between European...
Brain Corp unveiled BrainOS Clean 2.0, integrating SelfPath AI into Tennant’s X‑series floor‑cleaning robots. The update lets machines autonomously generate and adjust routes, removing the need for manual training. Early deployments show 22% higher coverage, 55% greater autonomy, and deployment speeds more than...
Reframe Systems has installed a 554‑square‑foot robotic‑built modular unit at The Bolt, a 180,000‑sq‑ft innovation campus under construction in Woburn, Massachusetts. The unit serves as a high‑end sales and leasing hub for developer Cabot, Cabot & Forbes during the construction phase,...
Toyota Material Handling Europe unveiled Swarm Automation Transport, an automated guided vehicle system that pairs its SAI125CB counter‑balance stacker with the T‑ONE control platform. The solution can move, stack and replenish pallets of various formats, from euro to bottom‑deck, across...
A month into this war: Iran is still exporting oil & to more customers Iran is making more money for its oil because prices are up Iran has effectively installed a tollbooth to enter and exit the Persian Gulf Russia is making more...
Show me your Tier One ships, specifically the 20 Pakistani ships. Just to be clear, Pakistan does not have 20 flagged ships stuck in the Persian Gulf, let alone 20 Pakistani tankers. Where are all these ships that...
Cyndi Brandt, VP of Fleet Solutions at Descartes Systems Group, leverages a diverse background in banking, technology and last‑mile logistics to shape go‑to‑market strategy and product innovation. She champions a culture of curiosity, resourcefulness and transparent leadership, even stepping away...
Here is an example of some of the problems associated with the President's comments about 8 to 10 tankers sailing out of the Persian Gulf or the 20 tankers he discussed on Air Force One. There is no evidence of...
1 million bpd Basra-Aqaba pipeline costing $9 billion would have paid for itself in 3 months in the current crisis. And given Baghdad some resilience against closure of the Strait. Exactly why the Iran-aligned parties blocked it over nonsense arguments about...
Wiliot announced a Built‑On partnership with Databricks, moving its Physical AI supply‑chain platform onto the Databricks lakehouse. The shift lets the company ingest and govern massive item‑level IoT Pixel data streams in a unified environment. By leveraging Databricks’ compute and...
Japan, France mull rare earths deal to cut China reliance A deal won't cut anything, only actual production of qualified materials and end products like magnets, at cost and scale.... https://t.co/IQ6N5twHWN
Pakistan & jet fuel crisis: Tonight, Pakistan has issued a NOTAM warning of ‘disruption in supply chain of jet fuel’ and advises airlines to carry maximum fuel from origin & to avoid refuelling in Pakistan 🛢️👇🏽 https://t.co/XoKrzwpziG
Amazon Freight announced its North American dry‑van fleet has reached 80,000 trailers, up from 70,000 less than a year ago. The expansion adds 10,000 units to its over‑the‑road capacity, complementing an existing inventory of more than 24,000 intermodal containers. Amazon...
I can’t believe the Strait of Hormuz has been closed for four weeks. It seems like so much longer than that. Scarcely do I remember the last time petrochemicals, urea, helium and other fundamental components could safely transit to key...
Just had to check my servers to be sure, as I was working on stuff around this time frame, looks like all is ok. Supply chain attacks like this are becoming more of an issue, eroding the trust model. https://t.co/fOTLJCgCrH
Volvo Cars and Geely Auto have signed a memorandum of understanding that would make Volvo the exclusive importer of Lynk & Co vehicles in Europe. The deal would see Lynk & Co sold and serviced through Volvo’s existing dealer network,...
Infuriating @wsj piece on the total cluster Trump's illegal "emergency" tariffs (& resistance to easy/automatic refunds) have created for US companies owed billions of ill-gotten dollars. Some face bankruptcy; others are giving up on refunds entirely. Theft, plain & simple.
"Foreign central banks sell US Treasuries in wake of Iran war" https://t.co/B4oQiLaXmS "Foreign central banks are selling US bonds at a time when the Treasury market is already under pressure as traders worry that the Middle East conflict could drive...
Sadara Chemical Company, the Dow‑Aramco joint venture in Jubail, has temporarily halted production after supply‑chain disruptions linked to the US‑Iran war. The shutdown affects its massive ethylene, propylene and polymer output, as well as ethanolamines sold by Sabic and Dow....
Shift from China to Vietnam. Talking about assembly of finished units. What about parts, assemblies, components, etc—the upstream supply chain? Do those still come from China?
Really honored to join the National Committee on US-China Relations to chat about my latest research: U.S.-China Trade Collapsed. Can It Recover? 📺 https://t.co/WPRwLNqS2z https://t.co/DATDHcySKT
Vention has commercially launched Rapid Operator AI, a turnkey system that automates deep‑bin picking for mid‑market and enterprise manufacturers. Built on the company’s Generalized Robotic Industrial Intelligence Pipeline (GRIIP) and NVIDIA Isaac models, the solution detects random parts, estimates 6‑DoF poses,...
China can still buy Iranian oil, but every barrel now comes with higher military risk, higher shipping costs, and the threat of sanctions or interdiction. What was once a quiet $8 to $12 discount trade is now a fragile, contested...
China has exported cargoes of diesel and other fuels to energy-starved countries across Southeast Asia over the weekend, in what appears to be a signal of support despite export curbs imposed earlier this month https://t.co/Ho2QuntmBc
Emobility application development services are emerging as the backbone for automated electric‑vehicle ecosystems, replacing fragmented point solutions with unified platforms. By treating the software layer as infrastructure, these services provide shared data models, real‑time session orchestration, and integrated smart‑charging, routing,...
Good perspective on using cash-and-carry from a #restaurant operator. But sometimes the savings can outweigh the hassle and wear & tear; depends what you're buying and how far you're driving.
LNG production in Qatar, normally ~80 mm tonnes, has been effectively OFFLINE since March 2. The new Golden Pass LNG export terminal in the U.S. will add only 18mm tonnes at full capacity. NEW SUPPLY CAN’T OFFSET WAR-DRIVEN LOSSES. https://t.co/tVmip8DsaM
Argonne National Laboratory and Aclara Resources have signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to create an AI‑enabled digital twin for heavy rare earth separation. The partnership will feed data from Aclara’s pilot plant into Argonne’s advanced computing platform, aiming...
"The regime has lost control" is wrong @EYakoby Iran is allowing more ships through Hormuz selectively It's sorting tankers by friends who pass for free, neutral parties that pay, and enemies that don't pass There may be a tactical uptick in flows,...
Airfreight rates from Shanghai to Dubai have soared 95% since the start of the war, to $8.60. Rates could exceed the 2020 pandemic record of $9.40 if fuel surcharges continue to rise: Drewry Airfreight Insight https://t.co/ge5NQvbHky
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence announced that its e‑Points procurement platform will now cover communications, optics, navigation, power and payload‑release components, expanding the digital marketplace for frontline units. The system awards digital points for verified combat successes, which units can spend...
Russian-flagged oil tanker Anatoly Kolodkin approaches the area of anchorage while being assisted by a tugboat, in Matanzas, Cuba, March 31, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez https://t.co/eewxf34Q5n
