Today's Supply Chain Pulse
Logistics volatility declared permanent in 2026 State of Logistics Report
The report finds supply‑chain volatility now a permanent condition, with U.S. logistics costs falling to $2.4 trillion, or 7.8% of GDP, down from $2.6 trillion in 2025. Five structural forces—uneven global growth, tighter financial conditions, geoeconomic realignment, labor constraints, and energy price swings—drive the new normal, while AI and automation reshape operations.
Also developing:
By the numbers: US IDFC partners with Chubb on $20B maritime reinsurance plan
76 Chargers, 9 MW: An EV Truck Hub Opens Where US Freight Runs
EV Realty opened its flagship electric‑truck charging hub in San Bernardino, California, featuring 76 high‑power ports delivering 9 MW, enough for over 200 medium‑ and heavy‑duty trucks daily. The site supports both CCS and the emerging megawatt charging system (MCS), offering up to 1.2 MW per charger. By providing shared infrastructure for fleets such as J.B. Hunt, Gate City Beverage, and Nevoya, the hub aims to lower capital costs and enable real‑world logistics operations. Funding from state programs and a recent $75 million equity raise backs EV Realty’s broader rollout.
Green Cubes Supports Emerging Innovator USAMR with Advanced Lithium Battery Systems for AMRs
Green Cubes Technology is providing its industrial lithium‑ion battery systems to USAMR for use in automated mobile robots (AMRs) that transport goods in warehouses and factories. The swappable battery packs feature lithium‑iron‑phosphate chemistry, high energy density, and integrated battery‑management to...
Iran Caps Hormuz Traffic at 15 Ships Daily
Iran 🇮🇷 will reportedly allow no more than 15 ships per day to pass through the Strait of Hormuz under the Ceasefire agreement - Tass
HENSOLDT UK Secures Two Contracts with SRT for 50 Coastal Surveillance Radars
German sensor specialist HENSOLDT UK announced it has secured two contracts with UK‑based SRT Marine System Solutions to deliver 50 coastal surveillance radars. The radars, built on HENSOLDT’s Coherent Shore‑Based Sensor platform and featuring SharpEye solid‑state transceivers, will be integrated...
Mediterranean Regional Feeder Networks Feeling the Strain Again
The east‑west Mediterranean feeder network is under renewed strain as Middle‑East tensions force ships to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, turning container circulation into the primary bottleneck. Reliance on West‑Mediterranean hubs such as Algeciras and Tanger Med has surged,...
How the Strait of Hormuz Stifled a Market Rally
Investors turned bearish as the fragile U.S.-Iran cease‑fire raised doubts about reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway, which moves roughly a quarter of global oil and gas shipments, remains congested, dampening the market rally sparked earlier in the week....
Ease.io Unveils 2026 Champions for Quality, Honoring Standout Manufacturing Leaders
Ease.io announced the winners of its eighth annual Champions for Quality Awards, highlighting leaders across six public‑nominated categories and four data‑driven categories based on EASE platform usage. Winners span the globe, from Kevin Keane in the UK to Great Dane in...
What to Know About the Bab El-Mandeb Strait as Iran Threatens to Restrict Other Key Trade Passage
Iranian officials have warned they could leverage the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait as a geopolitical bargaining chip, mirroring their threats on the Strait of Hormuz. The chokepoint, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, currently handles about 4.2 million...
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions in India Breaks Ground on Expanded New Manufacturing Facility in Bengaluru
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions announced a greenfield expansion in Bengaluru, India, creating a 50,000‑square‑meter campus slated for completion in 2027. The new site will boost production capacity by 30% and house manufacturing, R&D, testing labs, a Customer Solutions Center, supply‑chain hub...
Untitled
Alva Industries announced the SlimTorq™ STM-190-35, a larger‑size, high‑torque motor in its frameless, slotless portfolio. The new motor targets precision direct‑drive applications such as electro‑optical platforms, gimbals, and robotics, offering a favorable inner‑to‑outer diameter ratio and compact axial length. It...
Nvidia Rubin GPUs May Be Delayed, Slowing the Next Phase of AI Infrastructure
Nvidia’s next‑gen Rubin GPUs, slated for late‑2024 shipment, face supply delays due to HBM4 memory validation, CX9 interconnect rollout, and higher power and cooling demands. TrendForce now projects Rubin to represent only 22% of Nvidia’s 2026 shipments, down from an...
Networked Information and Industrial Output: Evidence From Chile’s 1972 Truckers’ Strike
The NBER paper investigates Chile’s cybernetic coordination system, Cybersyn, during the October 1972 national truckers’ strike, which slashed aggregate industrial output by roughly 9 percent. By applying monthly data from twenty sectors to a calibrated CES‑Leontief model, the author constructs...
Middle East Conflict Triggers 70% Butadiene Surge, Threatening Glove Supply
Middle East instability isn’t an energy crisis. It’s a healthcare supply collapse in slow motion. The market is tracking Brent Crude, but the critical failure is butadiene. This core feedstock for disposable gloves spiked 70% since the conflict began. War → Supply...
Planet-Friendly Logistics
In February the U.S. government repealed the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding, stripping the agency of authority to regulate greenhouse‑gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Despite this policy reversal, the logistics sector—particularly maritime shipping—continues to pursue decarbonization, with the International...
How to End American Power
Peter Zeihan argues that Donald Trump’s recent call for nations to secure their own Persian Gulf oil marks a decisive break from the post‑World War II security architecture the United States has provided. By urging allies to develop independent naval forces,...
One Year In: How Medtech Companies Are Coping with Tariff Challenges
One year after the Trump administration’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, medtech firms are still feeling the cost impact, with annual hits of $200 million to $500 million for large players. While the sector has not pursued large‑scale reshoring, companies are absorbing costs, seeking...
Marines Begin Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle Pre-Production
The U.S. Marine Corps awarded General Dynamics Land Systems a $450 million contract to start pre‑production of the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV). The ARV is intended to replace the aging LAV‑25 fleet and will incorporate hybrid propulsion, autonomous navigation and a...
Iran Ceasefire Won’t Provide Immediate Fertilizer Relief
A two‑week cease‑fire between the U.S. and Iran includes a pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but analysts say the limited window won’t instantly normalize fertilizer shipments. Prices for major fertilizers, especially urea, have surged—Urea up 34% month‑over‑month—keeping retail...
Samsung to Invest $4 Billion in Chip Packaging Site in Vietnam
Samsung Electronics announced a $4 billion investment to build a chip‑packaging plant in Thai Nguyen province, northern Vietnam. The project will roll out in multiple phases, with an initial $2 billion tranche slated to start construction soon. The facility aims to boost Samsung’s...
Hormuz Re-Shuts Over Lebanon Strikes: Oil Prices Rise Again | Rapid Read 9 April 2026
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz closed hours after a US‑Iran ceasefire, citing Israel’s large‑scale airstrikes in Lebanon. Marine tracking shows only three to seven vessels transited in the past 24 hours, a sharp drop from...
Kimberly-Clark Makes Contingency Plans After Fire at US Distribution Centre
Kimberly‑Clark activated contingency plans after a fire broke out at its 1.2 million‑square‑foot distribution centre in Ontario, California, operated by third‑party logistics provider NFI Industries. No injuries were reported and the company confirmed that manufacturing assets were untouched. To preserve service...
GigaDevice Names ACP Distribution Partner for Brazil
GigaDevice, a leading semiconductor maker, has appointed ACP Componentes Eletrônicos as its strategic long‑term distribution partner for Brazil. ACP will handle the full GigaDevice portfolio—including flash memory, specialty DRAM, 32‑bit MCUs, sensors and analog products—across all 26 Brazilian states. The...
How to Bypass the Strait of Hormuz with a Trucking Landbridge
The Loadstar interviewed Gaurav Biswas, CEO of TruKKer, about the surge in over‑land trucking routes that bypass the closed Strait of Hormuz. Since the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict began, TruKKer’s freight volumes have jumped roughly 30%, straining smaller Gulf ports that were...
Strait of Hormuz Is Not Just an Oil Chokepoint
The Strait of Hormuz, named after the Zoroastrian deity Ahura Mazda, is more than an oil conduit; it is a historically consecrated passage that now carries a diverse mix of energy and commercial cargo. Approximately 20% of global oil and over...
Kyodo News Digest: April 9, 2026
Japan is weighing an extra 20‑day release of its strategic oil reserves as safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains uncertain despite a U.S.–Iran cease‑fire. Domestic consumer confidence slipped to 33.3 in March, the lowest level since last May,...
COSCO Receives New 80,000 DWT Multi-Purpose Grain Carrier
COSCO Shipping Development has taken delivery of the 80,000‑DWT multi‑purpose grain carrier Guo Yun Hai, built by Dalian COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry. At nearly 230 meters long, the vessel is the first Chinese‑designed ship of its class aimed at large‑scale grain...
TST Launches ‘Dragonize’ Depot Charging Network to Scale Electric Truck Operations
TST Logistik has unveiled "dragonize," a cooperative depot‑charging network for electric trucks, backed by the digital platform DepotOS. The first hub in Worms, Germany, features eight high‑power chargers (three 400 kW, three 240 kW, two 160 kW) and 7.5 MW of on‑site solar, serving...
Lion Energy Takes Equity Stake in American Battery Factory Aimed at Securing Domestic Battery Supply
Utah‑based Lion Energy has taken an undisclosed equity stake in American Battery Factory (ABF) to lock in a domestic supply of lithium‑iron‑phosphate (LFP) cells. The partnership gives Lion over 4.5 GWh of offtake from ABF’s planned 5.5 GWh Tucson gigafactory for the...
‘Self-Healing’ Supply Chains on the Horizon, Driven by Disruption, Says Flexport
Flexport announced that AI‑driven "self‑healing" supply chains are moving from concept to reality. The company outlined three stages of autonomy: unified data, zero‑touch execution, and automated problem resolution. It highlighted ongoing development of a single source of truth, digital routing...
Daimler Buses Wins VBSG Tender (Switzerland) for 26 E-Buses After Ebusco Contract Revocation
Daimler Buses Schweiz won a public tender from St. Gallen’s VBSG to supply 26 battery‑electric buses after the original award to Ebusco was cancelled for financial reasons. The order, valued at roughly CHF 77.6 million (about $84.6 million), comprises 16 standard 12‑metre and 10...
SMMT: UK Automotive Supply Chain Offers £4.6bn Opportunity as EV Shift Accelerates
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) estimates the UK automotive supply chain could generate £4.6 billion of domestic manufacturing value by 2030. This upside is driven by accelerating electric‑vehicle adoption, which is expected to boost demand for British‑made batteries,...
Temple Battery Plant Moving Ahead on $110 Million Expansion
East Penn Manufacturing is allocating $110 million to expand its Temple, Texas battery plant. The 175,000‑square‑foot addition will increase the facility’s total size to 568,000 sq ft and raise AGM SLI battery finishing capacity by at least three million units annually. Construction is...
Space Is Becoming Supply Chain Infrastructure
The space economy has moved from a niche frontier to a core layer of supply‑chain infrastructure. In 2024 the sector was valued at $613 bn, with commercial activity accounting for $480 bn and a launch every 34 hours, led by the United...
Canada Remains the Top Destination for US Equipment Despite Import Dip
U.S. equipment manufacturers shipped $5.1 billion of machinery to Canada in 2025, keeping the neighbor as the largest single market for American gear despite a 13.2% year‑over‑year decline. Overall U.S. equipment exports fell 9.7% to $20.8 billion, with Australia a distant second...
Bogotá Launches Rollout of 711 Electric Buses with First 68 Units Bodied by Marcopolo Superpolo
Bogotá has taken delivery of the first 68 battery‑electric buses for its TransMiZonal routes, kicking off a 711‑vehicle rollout slated for completion in 2026‑27. The buses are assembled locally by Marcopolo Superpolo with BYD‑provided chassis and drivetrain, reflecting a fully...
Return to Normal for Hormuz Could Be Months Away, Says DHL
Senior DHL Global Forwarding executive Tobias Maier warned that a return to normal ocean shipping through the Strait of Hormuz may take four to six months, even if the US‑Iran cease‑fire holds. Approximately 40 vessels remain trapped in the Arabian...
Middle East Gulf Supplies only 8% of U.S. Crude Imports
"Imports from the Middle East Gulf region made up 8% of the 6.2 million b/d of U.S. crude oil imports in 2025" -EIA
Politics Derails US EV Industry, Leaving Factories Idle
With big losses mounting, big investments getting canceled, and big factory sites sitting empty, EVs have quickly become a case study in how politics thwarts US industrial policy. My latest @opinion piece surveys the very predictable wreckage: /1 https://t.co/SkFZCTtenA
What a Two-Week US-Iran Ceasefire Really Means for Apparel Supply Chains
A two‑week US‑Iran ceasefire could briefly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime artery that moves a large share of textile raw materials to global apparel manufacturers. While the pause may ease immediate freight congestion, experts warn it does not...
U.S. Cargo Protection Extends From Ports to Global Geopolitics
Now playing on @artofsupply > From Ports to Geopolitics: Protecting U.S. Cargo Worldwide at the @FMC_gov featuring Chairman Laura DiBella https://t.co/SXgRj54A2A https://t.co/8QjqKzeW2R
Ships Urged to Arrange Safety with Iranian Authorities
Vessels should make "necessary arrangements" with the Iranian authorities to, y'know, to ensure their safety... https://t.co/FWioFWbR7u
Freightos Pivots to AI as Cost Cuts Expose Profitability Challenge
Freightos announced a restructuring that will cut up to 15% of its workforce, roughly 50‑60 global roles, to tighten costs and accelerate its AI‑driven product strategy. The Nasdaq‑listed firm targets adjusted EBITDA breakeven by the end of 2026, relying on...
Visibility Alone Doesn't Equal Supply Chain Control
Most companies think visibility = control. It doesn’t. If disparate silos still react separately, you don’t have a digital supply chain network. You just see the problem faster. More here: https://t.co/vhFhiPXRze #DigitalSupplyChain #SupplyChainStrategy https://t.co/ih2LgLHrZx
Reopening Hormuz Likely Messy, Iran Controls Every Barrel
RBC Capital Markets' @CroftHelima and co: "[W]e think the mechanics of reopening the Strait will be exceedingly messy, with Iran potentially having a vote on nearly every barrel that exits the waterway until Gulf countries can build more alternative access...
Northern Lights Adds Third CO2 Carrier to Expand CCS Network
The Northern Lights joint venture has added a third liquefied carbon dioxide carrier, the Northern Phoenix, to its fleet. The vessel will haul captured CO₂ from Yara’s facilities to the Øygarden receiving terminal, where it will be piped to subsea storage....
ADNOC CEO Says Strait of Hormuz Remains Secure
Sultan Al Jaber, the CEO of Adnoc, on the state of the Strait of Hormuz https://t.co/HM7Jf6Ut4i
Strait of Hormuz Shipping Stalled as Iran Keeps Chokepoint Closed Despite US‑Iran Ceasefire
Iran has kept the Strait of Hormuz shut even after the United States and Tehran agreed to a two‑week ceasefire, leaving oil tankers and other vessels stranded. The impasse is feeding uncertainty in global oil markets and prompting renewed diplomatic...
Mexican Truckers and Farmers Block Key Freight Corridors in Nationwide Strike
Mexico’s National Association of Transporters (ANTAC) and the National Front for the Rescue of the Mexican Countryside (FNRCM) launched a nationwide strike on Monday, blocking major highways and U.S.–Mexico border crossings. The protest, driven by cargo‑theft, fuel costs and extortion,...
US-Iran Ceasefire to Ease Airfreight Rates but Full Recovery Could Take Months
A ceasefire between the United States and Iran is expected to provide immediate relief to air‑freight rates that surged after Gulf airspace restrictions forced airlines to curtail capacity. Xeneta data shows spot rates on key corridors such as South Asia‑Europe...
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Pentagon’s Supply‑Chain Risk Designation of Anthropic
A three‑judge D.C. Circuit panel rejected Anthropic’s bid for an emergency stay, allowing the Pentagon’s supply‑chain risk designation to remain. The ruling keeps the AI firm off federal contracts and forces enterprises to reassess AI sourcing amid heightened security scrutiny.