Today's Supply Chain Pulse
Strait of Hormuz closure stalls oil price surge despite 100‑day shutdown
The strategic waterway has been shut for 100 days, yet oil prices have not spiked. Prices fell after a U.S.–Iran deal was announced, and analysts warn that any relief to the oil market could take months to materialize.
Also developing:
By the numbers: GIA acquires 30% stake in De Beers' Tracr blockchain platform
U.S. Slaps 100% Tariff on Patented Drug Imports, Prompting Industry Pushback
The United States announced a 100% tariff on imported patented pharmaceuticals and ingredients effective July 31, while exempting generic drugs. The move targets a market that accounts for roughly 40% of India’s pharma exports and has triggered swift responses from Indian manufacturers and trade groups.
Russia's Ammonium Nitrate Export Halt Shocks Supply Chain
This matters—but it’s 11 days old @gaurav_kochar @KellyAlspals Russia halted ammonium nitrate exports (≈40% of global trade). That shock is already moving through the system. If you’re just seeing it now, you’re late. #Commodities #SupplyChain #EnergyCrisis
Oil's Necessity Forces Nations to Negotiate Iran Passage
Reality is setting in. Oil has to flow—and countries will deal with Iran to get it. Ships aren’t passing freely. They’re negotiating passage. That’s the new order. https://t.co/C8UjfpGovY #Oil #Hormuz #EnergyCrisis #Geopolitics
Cipla Secures FDA Approval for Generic Nintedanib Capsules, Expanding U.S. IPF Portfolio
Cipla USA Inc. received final FDA approval for its generic Nintedanib capsules (100 mg and 150 mg) to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, positioning the company against Boehringer Ingelheim's Ofev. The launch comes as the U.S. imposes 100% tariffs on patented drugs, leaving...
Flatbed Spot Rates Outpace Diesel Costs Since March
Duke is wrong. Spot rates have shot up way past the cost of diesel. Flatbed spot rates are up $.73/mile since March 1st. Diesel costs are up $.25/mile since March 1st. Flatbed carriers are +$.48/mile since March 1st. https://t.co/3sbGlP4BmJ
Raytheon Tucson Plant Supplies $1.9 B in Tomahawk Missiles Fired in Iran Conflict
Raytheon's Tucson plant built 535 Tomahawk cruise missiles—about $1.9 billion in value—fired in the first 16 days of the U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran. The output highlights a looming supply‑chain challenge as the Pentagon seeks to boost annual production from 90 to...
FCC Moves to Ban Foreign‑Made Routers, Citing Enterprise Security and National‑Security Risks
The Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on foreign‑manufactured Wi‑Fi routers, citing risks to enterprise networks and national security. The move targets equipment from China and other adversarial nations, urging businesses to replace vulnerable devices to protect data and critical...
ADNOC Underscores Hormuz's Vital Role in Global Energy
Adnoc is buying ads to stress the importance of the Strait of Hormuz for global energy flows Adnoc can’t export LNG and other fuels to customers in Asia and Europe without going through Hormuz https://t.co/F4fehuRnDr
NextDecade LNG Shares Surge 7% on Middle East Tensions Driving Gas Prices
NextDecade's shares jumped almost 7% after Middle East tensions pushed natural‑gas prices higher. The spike reflects investors' view that the U.S. LNG producer is well‑placed to meet rising global demand amid supply concerns in the Strait of Hormuz.
SITREP: IRAN CONFLICT | Day 35
The blog warns that Iran’s war has spilled beyond the Middle East, with the Strait of Hormuz blocked—shutting a chokepoint that moves roughly 20% of global oil and LNG and pushing crude above $100 a barrel. Iranian drones and missiles...
DARPA Launches Program to Cut Missile Production Time to Days
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released three Requests for Information on Tuesday, asking industry to design missiles that can be manufactured in days instead of months. The push targets faster, cheaper weapons to expand U.S. magazine depth as...
February Net Trailer Orders Down 43% As Bookings Fall 26%
Preliminary data show February net trailer orders plunged 43% month‑over‑month, falling from January’s 23,300 units to roughly 13,300. Bookings also slipped 26% compared with February 2025, landing at 13,200 units before seasonal adjustment. ACT Research attributes the dip to the...
Is the Strait of Hormuz Opening up Again?
The episode examines the tentative reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of disruption caused by the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict, highlighting the first Western container ship and a Japanese LNG carrier to transit the route. Captain John Conrad of GCaptain...
Samsung Electronics Names KCTech, Wonik IPS Among Top Suppliers at 2026 Partner Day
Samsung Electronics held its 2026 Device Solutions Division Mutual Growth Cooperation Day, honoring 17 top suppliers for achievements in technology, cost efficiency and ESG performance. KCTech received the highest technology innovation award for advancing localized CMP equipment, while Wonik IPS...
Montreal Port Chief Gascon Exits Abruptly After Two-Year Tenure
Montreal Port Authority chief Julie Gascon left her role abruptly after a two‑year tenure, with no public explanation. Her departure coincides with the start of a C$1.6 billion (US$1.15 billion) container terminal project that will be operated by DP World. The board announced...
U.S.-Iran War Is Stranding Sailors In The Strait Of Hormuz
The U.S.-Iran conflict has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, stranding roughly 2,000 vessels and 20,000 seafarers in the Persian Gulf. The United Nations notes this is unprecedented in modern maritime history, as 19 attacks on civilian ships have already...
Charleston Looking for Retailer Shippers to Revive Port’s Growth
The Port of Charleston is launching an aggressive campaign to attract retail goods shippers and is open to co‑investing with them to revive stagnant container volumes. For the first eight months of the 2026 fiscal year, the port’s throughput sits...
Most ERP Projects Fail Before They Start. Staudt Solutions Launches to Fix That.
Research shows 55‑75% of ERP projects in manufacturing miss their goals, often due to operational gaps that exist before software selection. Staudt Solutions, launched in Temecula, California, offers independent advisory services focused on data integrity, process alignment, and organizational readiness...
Will the Iran War Redraw the Global Energy Map?
The Iran‑Israel conflict has forced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, instantly choking a key artery for global oil shipments. The disruption has triggered a sharp supply shock, pushing crude prices higher and exposing Asia’s heavy reliance on Middle‑East...
Trump Ignores Biggest Reasons His AI Data Center Buildout Is Failing
President Donald Trump has made rapid AI data‑center construction a top priority, but aggressive tariffs on Chinese imports are choking the supply of essential transformers, switchgear and batteries. Bloomberg reports that delivery times have ballooned from 2‑3 years to up...
Hankook Truck Tire Production Line to Begin Rolling in July
South Korean tire maker Hankook will begin producing truck and bus radial (TBR) tires at its Clarksville, Tennessee plant in early July 2026, marking the first U.S.-based manufacturing of its truck tires. The Phase 3 expansion, part of a $1.6 billion investment,...
Ford Targets 50,000‑truck Inventory Boost After Novelis Fire Disruptions
Ford announced a 2026 plan to add 50,000 F‑Series trucks to its U.S. inventory after fires at aluminum supplier Novelis slashed production. The initiative adds new shifts, hires 100 workers and skips summer plant shutdowns to raise the current 55‑day...
FMC Again Rejects Maersk Petition to Waive Notice Period for Emergency Fuel Surcharge
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has again denied Maersk’s petition to waive the statutory 30‑day notice required before imposing an emergency bunker fuel surcharge on U.S. trades. The carrier’s request, filed on March 11, was unanimously rejected, meaning Maersk cannot apply...
Textile Exporters Urge Govt to Waive Cotton Import Duty
Indian textile exporters have asked the government to suspend the 11% import duty on cotton, citing a recent 7‑8% rise in domestic cotton prices and an 11‑12% jump in ginned cotton costs. International cotton prices have also climbed 12‑15%, squeezing...
ClassNK Grants First Autonomous Ship Notation to Container Ship “Genbu”
ClassNK has awarded its AUTO-Nav2 (All) notation to the container ship Genbu, marking the world’s first certification of an autonomous navigation system for medium‑ to long‑distance routes. Built by Kyokuyo Shipyard and operated by Suzuyo Marine, Genbu is part of...
APM Terminals Wraps up $73M Rail Expansion at Port of Los Angeles
APM Terminals finished a $73 million upgrade of its Pier 400 terminal at the Port of Los Angeles, adding 31,000 linear feet of new rail track and more than doubling its rail capacity. Weekly rail lifts jumped from roughly 5,000 to 11,000, a 104 percent...
French-Owned Ship Passes Through Strait of Hormuz
A Malta‑flagged container ship owned by French carrier CMA CGM became the first major Western European vessel to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the US‑Israeli war with Iran halted traffic. Iran has said “non‑hostile” ships may use the waterway, but...
Transportation Cost Increases Likely to Trickle Down to the Farmer
Diesel fuel prices have jumped nearly 40% since the Middle East conflict, pushing the national average to $5.49 per gallon, up from $3.76 last month. Transportation providers warn that rates could increase by 30 to 50 cents per mile to...
K.C. Pharmaceuticals Recalls 3.1 Million Eye‑Drop Bottles Over Sterility Concerns
K.C. Pharmaceuticals announced a voluntary recall of over 3.1 million bottles of over‑the‑counter eye drops sold across the United States. The FDA classified the action as a Class II recall on March 31, 2026, citing a lack of assurance of sterility. The recall...
Congress Pushes MATCH Act to Block AI Chip Equipment Sales to China, Tightening Export Controls
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the MATCH Act in the House, expanding bans on advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China. The bill follows a surge in Chinese imports of such tools—from $10.7 billion in 2016 to $51.1 billion last year—raising national‑security...
AI Power Surge Triggers RAM Shortages, Delays Nvidia GPUs and Valve's Steam Machine
Nvidia announced that its next‑generation RTX 60 series GPUs are delayed until 2027‑28 as AI training workloads hoard DRAM, and Valve pushed back its Steam Machine console launch to mid‑2026. The shortages have also helped lift Intel shares 9.6% on...
Truckers Leverage Pricing Power, Spot Rates Outpace Fuel Costs
Lots of questions about whether the surge in diesel is the reason trucking spot rates are also surging. First off, truckers are able to pass off the increased cost of fuel because they have pricing power. This is caused by...
Brazil's PV Module Imports Drop 24% to 17.9 GWBrazil
Brazil PV module imports fall 24% to 17.9 GW in 2025 #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/lMs2zSGSOi
SolarEdge Expands U.S. Manufacturing to Capture Growing Solar B2B Demand
SolarEdge Technologies announced a major expansion of its U.S. manufacturing footprint, adding residential inverter lines in Texas, commercial inverter and optimizer lines in Florida, and battery production in Utah. The move ends production in China, Mexico and Hungary and follows...
Trump Budget Targets Record US Shipbuilding with 34 Vessels
Trump budget proposal tees up yard bonanza by taking US ship orders to historic levels White House gears up to propose budget with 34 ships, including vessels built to commercial standards https://t.co/8MB7cVm1I8
Tariff Chaos Year Review: Disappointing Results, Shifting Goalposts
Excellent review of our recent, chart-filled @CatoInstitute piece on the last year of US tariff chaos, with some also-excellent additional commentary on tariff fans' goalpost-moving, cherry-picking, & misdirection.
Suez Canal Authority Refloats Grounded Bulk Carrier in Swift Salvage Operation
The Suez Canal Authority successfully refloated the Panama‑flagged bulk carrier Xin Tain Yuan after it ran aground at km 87 due to a rudder failure. Four SCA tugboats, including the newly‑commissioned Azm 2, completed the salvage within hours and escorted the vessel...
White House Simplifies Tariffs, but 50% Rates Stay Punitive
After months of lobbying by companies that were unfairly hit by tariffs, the White House consolidated and simplified metals tariffs. But, tariffs remain SKY-HIGH at 50% on steel, aluminum, and copper. The admin's changes were only window dressing. Tariff rates remain punitive....
Half Global Sulfur Flows Through Hormuz, Fueling Industry
John Dizard nailed this one in The Institutional Risk Analyst w/ @rcwhalen: "Most, around half, of sulfur in the world goes through the Strait of Hormuz. You need sulfuric acid in order to produce copper, steel, nickel...you really need it to...
Capacity Glut Neutralizes Hormuz Shock, Rates Stall
Container Rates Stall as Capacity Glut Offsets Hormuz Shock. War. Geopolitics. Supply chains. Fill the ship with lower rates pricing game. https://t.co/Qli3djw5g9
U.S. Shouldn't Fund Iron Dome; Prioritize Rare Earths
I don't think the U.S. should pay for the Iron Dome system not just because Israel is a bad ally, but also because we need the rare earths for our purposes.
China Leverages Ports and Logistics for Supply Chain Dominance
China. Want supply chain control. Do it with logistics. Look at Cosco shipping. Buying ports. Belt & road. And more.
Walmart Ordered to Pay $100M over Driver Pay Deception
Walmart $WMT has to pay $100 million to Spark delivery drivers. For misleading them on pay and tips. A hit to their e-commerce last mile program.
More Machines Don't Guarantee Faster Production
❌ MYTH: More machines = faster production More machines don't always mean faster production. Find out why and optimize efficiency. #ManufacturingMyths #EfficiencyMatters #LeanThinking #SmartManufacturing #WorkSmarter #SmartProduction https://t.co/0ggFIhxTzT
Trump’s New Steel/Aluminum Tariffs: Expert Session Essential
Yesterday President Trump made major changes to tariffs for steel and aluminum imports. If you import products subject to Section 232 duties on steel or aluminum, you will not want to miss our expert session on those changes.
Control of Hormuz Determines Iran’s Energy Leverage
The war isn’t about nukes anymore. It’s about Hormuz. If Iran controls the strait, it controls the leverage—energy flows, revenue, and deterrence. Lose that, and it loses everything. https://t.co/E8y4o6BWN6 #Iran #Hormuz #Oil #Geopolitics
Europe's War Reluctance Grows Amid China Economic Ties
If Europe wouldn't assist in a war with a regime that every leader has condemned that has been left nearly powerless, there is little chance they would support a war against China where strong economic and supply chain dependancies exist
Freight Leads, Payrolls Follow: Industrial Recovery Confirmed
Freight signals move first with payrolls to follow, confirming that the industrial recovery is real The freight charts are showing COVID like strength, all thanks to manufacturing
Zipline Launches Autonomous Charging Stations for Drone Fleet
Zipline Unveils #Autonomous Charging Stations for Its #Drone Delivery Fleet by @tweetciiiim #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation https://t.co/qGhjC53ysu
Memory Supply Chain Faces Growing Constraints, Market Unaware
The memory point is not the only interesting comment here, but we have had a range of supply chain chats on memory, and I don't think the market fully grasps what's coming. We are stacking constraints at this point. This...