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
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Cisco Tests Local Metals Recovery to Address AI Supply Chain Strain
Cisco is testing a distributed, modular metals‑recovery system with UK‑based DEScycle at a demonstration plant in Wilton. The pilot processes disassembled Cisco hardware to extract copper, gold and other high‑value metals, tracking recovery rates and economics. The initiative targets the growing material constraints of AI‑intensive data‑center equipment, offering a localized alternative to traditional large‑scale smelting. Cisco says the effort aligns with its sustainability goals and could add business value by shortening reverse‑supply chains.
Europe Ramps up Autonomous Warfare Capabilities with German–Ukrainian Drone Production Pact
Germany and Ukraine have signed a cooperation agreement that enables the Auterion‑Airlogix joint venture to begin large‑scale production of thousands of mid‑range, heavy AI‑guided autonomous strike drones in Germany. The deal fulfills a February 2026 Munich Security Conference pledge and becomes...
3D Systems Adds SLA Printer and AddiTrak Software
3D Systems unveiled the SLA 825 Dual, a stereolithography printer that delivers a 22% larger build volume and up to 25% faster print speeds, targeting high‑volume industrial production. The company also launched AddiTrak, an on‑premise software platform that centralizes monitoring, analytics, and...
Dematic Expands Flexible Automation Capabilities Through GreyOrange Partnering Relationship
Dematic announced a strategic partnership with GreyOrange to integrate the GreyMatter AI‑powered orchestration platform into its supply‑chain automation suite. The collaboration unifies robots, autonomous mobile robots and human workflows under a single, hardware‑agnostic software layer. By embedding GreyMatter, Dematic aims...
Goods Sector Defies Oil Price Surge, Truckloads up 11%
The goods industry is the most exposed segment to the price of oil and yet since March 1st, we have seen incredibly strong signals out of the goods economy with activity firming, not weakening. If high oil prices were going...
Rising Fuel Prices Force Contract Terminations, but “No Large Crisis” (For CT)
Rising diesel prices, driven by the Strait of Hormuz closure, have prompted Slovak rail operator ŽS Cargo and Czech carrier ČD Cargo to terminate or amend contracts that involve individual shipments and diesel traction. Both firms cite fuel cost pressures as the...
Angola Flooding Closes African Copper Export Route
Heavy rains in Angola have forced the Lobito Atlantic Railway to suspend service on the Lobito Corridor, a $2.1 billion rail‑and‑port project that moves copper and cobalt from the DRC and Zambia to Atlantic markets. The shutdown damages bridges and track...
Rising Delivery Expectations Increase Pressure on Online Fulfilment and Parcel Services
New research from UK parcel carrier Whistl shows that damaged or missing items and missed deliveries remain the most common consumer complaints in e‑commerce. The study also finds that inadequate customer support turns logistical hiccups into reputational damage, especially for...
International Transportation Update: Freightos
Cease‑fire talks over the Middle‑East conflict collapsed, prompting a U.S. naval blockade that further restricts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The closure has shaved roughly 10% off global oil supply, driving bunker‑fuel shortages and spiking energy costs. Emergency fuel...
U.S.-bound Imports Post Strong March Gains, Notes Descartes Global Shipping Report
Descartes' 56th Global Shipping Report shows U.S.-bound container imports surged 12.4% month‑over‑month in March to 2.35 million TEU, the fourth‑highest monthly total on record. Imports remain 32.3% above pre‑pandemic March 2019 levels despite a 4.8% year‑to‑date decline. China‑origin shipments slipped slightly,...
Zelim’s ZOE Man-Overboard Detection System Becomes First Fully Certified Solution
Zelim’s AI‑enabled ZOE man‑overboard detection system earned ISO 21195:2020 certification from Lloyd’s Register after a 90‑day sea trial on Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition vessel. The system logged a 97% detection rate in simulated tests, surpassing the standard’s minimum requirement. ZOE is...
New Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge Transported to Stockholm by Sea
A new 230‑metre pedestrian and cycle bridge for Stockholm’s Slussen district arrived by sea from Poland on April 12. The structure was delivered in six sections, the largest weighing 152 tons, using the Commander 1 vessel towing the Carrier 17 barge. After being lifted...
Iran War Is ‘a Concern, but It’s Not a Worry,’ Los Angeles Port Director Says
The Port of Los Angeles says the Iran war is a concern but not a worry for its operations, noting no current disruptions despite ongoing Middle East tensions. March throughput fell 3% year‑over‑year to 752,520 TEUs, while April is projected...
2,000+ Supply Ships Stranded: Iran War Puts Food Security at Risk
More than 2,000 vessels carrying grains, edible oils, soft commodities and fertilizers are stranded in the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing Iran conflict. The blockage threatens spoilage of perishable cargoes and creates immediate shortages for food‑and‑beverage manufacturers, while...
Choosing a Last Mile Partner? Start With Their Failure Plan
Last‑mile carriers are increasingly judged on how they recover from disruptions, not just on on‑time delivery rates. Brands should probe partners about early‑issue detection, escalation protocols, and transparent communication during storms, demand spikes, or tracking lapses. Resilience hinges on a...
6th CICPE Opens in Hainan with Canada as Guest of Honor and Over 3,400 Global Brands
The 6th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) opened in Haikou, Hainan, featuring over 3,400 brands from more than 60 countries, with international exhibitors accounting for 65% of the show. The event occupies 143,000 m²—13,000 m² larger than the previous edition—and attracted...
Cass Data Shows Freight Market Tightened Further in March
Cass Information Systems reported that its multimodal shipments index rose 3% month‑over‑month in March, narrowing the year‑over‑year decline to 4.5%, the smallest since June. Freight expenditures climbed 4.9% from February, implying freight rates were roughly 9% higher despite lower volumes....
Middle East-Linked Market Ambiguity Clouds India-US Service Contract Plans
India‑US westbound ocean carriers have scrapped planned rate increases, pulling freight‑all‑kinds (FAK) rates down as much as $500 in the past two weeks. The ongoing Middle East conflict has injected market uncertainty, prompting both carriers and beneficial cargo owners to...
SCA Rescues Crew After Barge Fire in Suez Waiting Area
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) quickly contained a fire on the barge SUEZ 2 while it was transferring oil to the vessel RAWAN in the E10 waiting area. Marine units, led by tug AMIN ZEID, rescued three of four crew members and...
Thoro Unveils New Autonomous Solution Powered by Orbbec, Driving Scalable Material Handling Innovation
At MODEX 2026, automation specialist Thoro introduced CoreFlex, a modular, infrastructure‑free autonomy stack that can power a variety of industrial vehicles. The solution relies on Orbbec’s Gemini 336 stereo 3D camera to deliver high‑precision depth perception, robust obstacle detection, and reliable performance...
Obsidian Energy Continues to Mitigate Operational Risk with ISN
Canadian upstream producer Obsidian Energy has broadened its use of ISNetworld, the contractor management platform from ISN, to cover additional risk domains such as transportation carrier verification. The expansion adds modules like RAVS 360 for safety culture assessment, API integration...
Untitled
RobotShop announced a strategic partnership with AGIBOT Innovation, becoming its value‑added distribution partner across the United States and Canada. The agreement gives RobotShop access to AGIBOT’s legged inspection robots and humanoid platforms, while providing integration, onboarding and deployment services. AGIBOT,...
Russian Crude Oil Imports Rebound in March as PSU Refiners Left Record Volumes
India’s state‑owned refineries more than doubled their Russian crude purchases in March, lifting imports to roughly 1.98 million barrels per day from 1 million the month before. The surge helped push India’s total spend on Russian hydrocarbons to about $6.4 billion, with crude‑oil...
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL Reaches ISS Carrying Tons of Supplies
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft completed its second flight to the International Space Station, docking on April 13. The vehicle was captured by the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm at 1:20 p.m. EDT. The mission delivered several tons of scientific equipment,...
Audubon Buys Alliance Engineering
Audubon Companies LLC, a subsidiary of Nobel Energy, announced the acquisition of Alliance Engineering, a Mobile, Alabama‑based engineering and construction‑management firm. The deal folds Alliance’s mechanical, electrical, structural, piping and process engineering capabilities into Audubon’s integrated service platform, extending its...
TD Cowen NEARS Conference Takeaways
At the NEARS conference, Union Pacific reaffirmed its long‑term short‑line partnership strategy, while Norfolk Southern emphasized that the pending merger could dramatically cut empty railcar miles by enabling a national intermodal network. Attendees highlighted accelerating AI adoption and new automation‑focused...
Smart Device Manufacturers Move Towards FieldComm Group FDI Device Management Tools
Smart device manufacturers are turning to FieldComm Group’s Field Device Integration (FDI) as a protocol‑agnostic solution for managing the full lifecycle of field instruments. The updated FDI specification, built on the 2024 FDT Group merger, promises unified configuration, diagnostics and...
New Meriaura Open Deck Carrier Will Feature Wärtsilä Propulsion Solution
Meriaura has ordered a 6,800‑dwt open‑deck carrier from Jiangsu Zhenjiang shipyard, featuring a fully integrated Wärtsilä propulsion suite. The 120‑metre, 1A ice‑class, DP2 vessel is built for low energy use and reduced emissions. It will house two Wärtsilä 25 main...
White Paper – Beyond Tracking: How Real-Time Visibility Fuels Fleet Profitability
Trimble released a new white paper titled “Beyond Tracking: How Real-Time Visibility Fuels Fleet Profitability,” highlighting how high‑fidelity data integration can eliminate communication gaps, shrink dwell times, and deepen shipper relationships. The ebook argues that real‑time visibility should move from...
The Hormuz Crisis and the Fate of the Global South
The sudden closure of the Strait of Hormuz has halted roughly a quarter of global oil, a fifth of LNG and a third of fertilizer shipments, prompting the IMF to label the disruption a “global yet asymmetric” shock. Import‑dependent economies...
Big Risks Hover over Strait of Hormuz Blockade
The United States began a blockade of all commercial shipping to and from Iran on April 13, marking the first day of a new geopolitical flashpoint in the Strait of Hormuz. Crude oil prices spiked to over $105 per barrel...
How Xiaomi's Dark Factory Robots Can Pump Out A Phone In Mere Seconds
Xiaomi launched a fully automated "dark factory" in Changping, China, capable of producing 10 million flagship smartphones a year. The plant runs at about one device every 3.15 seconds, achieving 81% automation across 11 production lines and costing roughly $330 million. Xiaomi...
PM Modi Inaugurates Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor to Accelerate Regional Connectivity
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Delhi‑Dehradun Economic Corridor, a six‑lane, access‑controlled highway that slashes travel time between the capital and Uttarakhand’s capital from six hours to about 2.5 hours. The project, costing roughly ₹12,000 crore (≈ $1.5 billion), is part of a...
European Commission Proposes EU Industrial Accelerator Act Including ‘Made in EU’ and Low-Carbon Requirements, Stricter Rules for FDI in Strategic...
On 4 March 2026 the European Commission unveiled the EU Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), a sweeping proposal to lift manufacturing’s share of EU GDP to 20 % by 2035, introduce “Made in EU” and low‑carbon rules for strategic goods, and tighten foreign‑direct‑investment (FDI) screening...
China Shock 2.0: The Flood of High-Tech Goods that Will Change the World
The Financial Times warns of a second "China shock" as Chinese firms flood global markets with high‑tech products at rock‑bottom prices. Companies like Mega‑Senway have driven sensor prices from about $30 to under $2, while China’s trade surplus topped $1 trillion...
PVH Expects Improved Tariff Mitigation Results in 2026
PVH Corp., the parent of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, expects $195 million in gross tariff costs for 2026 and plans to offset 60% of that impact, double the mitigation achieved in 2025. The company’s guidance assumes a 15% duty rate that the...
GCC Steel Supply Crunch Deepens Despite Ceasefire Talks
Gulf steel mills continue to face severe supply constraints despite tentative cease‑fire talks between Iran and the United States. Blockades in the Strait of Hormuz have curtailed iron‑ore pellet and ferro‑alloy shipments, forcing producers to cut output and turn to...
Building an Intelligence System From Public Data: A CFO’s Account
Vice President of Finance Niyi Oladepo at Pike Industries built an AI‑driven pricing tool using publicly available state DOT bid data. The system draws on 146 New Hampshire and Maine projects totaling about $839 million to establish a historical baseline, then layers...
Toray Will Supply Carbon Fibres for Syensqo’s Aerospace Composite Materials
Toray and Syensqo have signed a five‑year global agreement, effective January 2026, under which Toray will supply high‑strength, intermediate‑modulus carbon fibres for aerospace composite materials. The deal supports Syensqo’s portfolio of composite solutions across commercial and defence programmes. Executives from...
From Bras to Space: Seamstresses Redesign NASA Suit
When a bra maker got the job of making the first NASA spacesuit In 1966, when seamstresses at the International Latex Corporation arrived at its new Apollo Suit shopfloor in Frederica, Delaware, they were essentially “taught to sew again from scratch.”...
City of Peace
Volkswagen is negotiating with Israel’s state‑owned arms firm Rafael to retool its Osnabrück plant, employing 2,300 workers, for production of Iron Dome missile‑defence systems. The move follows a 2024 announcement that three German plants are at risk due to falling car...
Driverless Trucks Already Operating, Few Winners Ahead
Autonomous trucking is here — not coming. In Talking Transports, @KodiakRobotics CEO/founder @don_burnette breaks down: • Driverless trucks in operation today • AI vs HD mapping • Cost + utilization advantages • Regulatory reality • Why only a few winners emerge 🎧 Listen to episode 134...
Tariffs Spur Companies to Halve Declared Export Values
Companies dodge tariffs the old-fashioned way. They cut the declared value of goods being exported in half and pay half the new tariff rate. IMPOSE A TARIFF = INVITE WORKAROUNDS. https://t.co/rl20Lgpb2O
Ahold Delhaize to Introduce Product Carbon Footprinting
Ahold Delhaize announced a rollout of product carbon‑footprinting (PCF) tools to measure emissions of every item it sells. The retailer says roughly 95% of its greenhouse‑gas impact lies in Scope 3, with 80% tied to product emissions, prompting a target to cut...
China's Export Growth Falters as Global Demand Slumps
China’s Export Momentum Slows Amid Iran War—Weaker global demand threatens a growth driver for Beijing @hannahmiao_ @TByGraceZhu https://t.co/vpepE1zohz https://t.co/vpepE1zohz
Parliament Energy Secures 1.2 GW Tracker Deal with Ideematec
Parliament Energy signs 1.2-GW tracker supply agreement with Ideematec #energysky -- via Solar Power World: https://t.co/DGSPjEKS8U
Lilly Investing Billions to Prepare for Overseas Oral GLP-1 Launches
Eli Lilly announced a $3 billion investment in China and a $125 million spend in Japan to build capacity for its newly approved oral GLP‑1 drug, orforglipron. The moves aim to localize production, shorten lead times and hedge against geopolitical disruptions. Analysts see...
China Ramps up Export Controls Ahead of US‑China Talks
China has increased its use of export controls, underlining Beijing’s willingness to leverage its power over supply chains as Xi Jinping prepares for talks next month with US President Donald Trump. by @leahyjoseph, @cheng_leng_ & Wenjie Ding https://t.co/oGe6739GIG
AI Agents Boost Real-Time Logistics Visibility
Listen to the Does Logistics Matter? Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. In Episode 65 Elmer Spruijt, VP Transportation Management EMEA at Descartes talks about: Real-time visibility and data collection, AI agents, and smart automation. #Logistics #AI #Podcast https://t.co/GP4ttYb9OS
Tariffs Spur Few New U.S. Jobs, Tour Highlights Legacy Makers
"While Greer's tour highlighted companies that have been making their products in the U.S. for years, it's more difficult for the administration to showcase manufacturers that have set up shop in the U.S. or added jobs specifically as a result...