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
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Wayland Additive announced its return to the RAPID+TCT 2026 exhibition in Boston, where it will showcase its NeuBeam® electron‑beam powder‑bed fusion technology. NeuBeam® actively neutralizes charge during builds, eliminating the “smoke” instability that limits conventional e‑beam systems and enabling a more stable process window. The technology promises greater design freedom for complex geometries and reliable processing of challenging alloys, positioning the Calibur3 platform as a production‑ready solution rather than a lab prototype. Wayland’s message targets manufacturers frustrated by material constraints, process fragility, and excessive post‑processing.
France and Italy Seek Safe Passage Deal with Iran
France and Italy have opened diplomatic talks with Iran to secure safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil transit chokepoint. The initiative follows recent French casualties and heightened military presence that underscored the risks...
Nulogy Launches ‘Manufacturing Operating System’
Nulogy introduced its Manufacturing Operating System (MOS), a unified cloud platform that consolidates production, quality, compliance and collaboration tools for manufacturers, contract packagers and 3PLs. The solution promises real‑time visibility and agility by linking disparate enterprise and point solutions on...
West Asia Conflict : Plastics Manufacturers Raise Concerns About Polymer Price Hikes, Seek Survival Package for MSME Units
The All India Plastics Manufacturers Association (AIPMA) warned that polymer prices have surged 59% in just 11 days amid the West Asia conflict, threatening the viability of India’s plastic‑processing sector. Over 90% of the roughly 50,000 units in the industry...
Borderlands Mexico: GM, Stellantis Drive Auto Exports to US in February
Mexico’s automotive sector produced 311,457 light vehicles in February, a 1.8% year‑over‑year decline, while exports slipped 4.4% to 247,945 units. General Motors and Stellantis remained the top exporters, with GM producing 69,652 vehicles and shipping 57,473, and Stellantis producing 40,865...
India to Procure Spot LNG for Urea Manufacturing
India’s government announced a rapid spot‑LNG procurement to offset a 40% supply cut from Qatar, which has jeopardised domestic urea production. Petronet LNG invoked force majeure after tankers failed to reach Ras Laffan amid the West Asia conflict. The first...
India Post to Introduce 24-Hour, 48-Hour Premium Speed Post Services
India Post will launch premium “24 Speed Post” and “48 Speed Post” services on March 17, 2026, offering next‑day and two‑day document delivery between six major metros. A new “24 Speed Post Parcel” product adds next‑day parcel delivery with weight‑based tariffs up to 5 kg. The offerings target both retail...
Generative AI Lifts Retail Margins—Buy Walmart
Macro: Generative AI boosts retail margins via supply‑chain automation. Leaders: WMT, TGT. Risk: AI discovery can divert share from opaque retailers. Trade: Buy WMT. 📈 — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
Piraeus Car Terminal Welcomes Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
The Port of Piraeus has launched a cooperation with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) following the inaugural call of the M/V Tourmaline Ace at its car terminal. The vessel arrived with roughly 1,000 vehicles bound for the Greek market, marking the...
Drewry’s World Container Index Surges 8% on Asia-Europe Rate Gains
Drewry’s World Container Index jumped 8% to $2,123 per 40‑foot container, driven by strong Asia‑Europe freight gains and continued Transpacific growth. Shanghai‑Rotterdam spot rates surged 19%, while Shanghai‑Genoa rose 10%, reflecting heightened demand on key lanes. Carriers limited capacity, announcing...
Insurance Premiums, Not Blockades, Choke the Strait of Hormuz
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝘇 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘁. Here's something most supply chain professionals don't fully appreciate — and probably should. Iran doesn't need to physically block the world's most critical oil chokepoint. They just need to...
Two LCS Mine‑Countermeasure Ships Deployed to Malaysia Amid Regional Pullback
So 2 of the 3 Littoral Combat Ships outfitted with the mines countermeasures package is in Malaysia? Not sure about Canberra but this seems like a strange time to pull a major element from the region.
MSC Revises Koala Service
MSC has overhauled the rotation of its Koala service linking Northeast Asia and Australia. The southbound call at Jakarta is being dropped in favor of a Singapore stop, and a second northbound call at Adelaide has been added. The revised...
US Oil Exports Could Spark Overwhelming Ban Demand
I’m really concerned that when people take this one step further and learn that the US is actually selling oil to other countries that the public’s demand for an export ban will become overwhelming.
Global Shipping Chaos Raises Costs for Everyone
More than 100 cargo ships are stuck in the Persian Gulf. Nearby ports are packed with redirected cargo. Costs are being driven up globally. NOBODY IS SPARED FROM THE TRUMP- NETANYAHU WAR TAX. https://t.co/EF8fmqKgiV
Lloyd’s Register Grants Type Approval to GIT Coatings for Hull Coating
Lloyd’s Register has awarded type approval and technical assurance to GIT Coatings’ next‑generation graphene‑based hull coating, XGIT‑FORCE. The approval confirms compliance with IMO’s Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti‑Fouling Systems and validates the coating’s hard foul‑release performance. GIT Coatings...
Alba Cuts 19% Capacity to Safeguard Operations Amid Hormuz Disruption
March 15 (Reuters) - Aluminium Bahrain https://t.co/oYsWepGMNg, known as Alba, said on Sunday it had initiated a shutdown of three aluminium smelting lines accounting for 19% of its capacity to preserve business continuity amid ongoing disruption in the Strait of...
Battery Fires Threaten Fragile Supply Chains, LA Port Chief Warns
Lithium-ion battery blazes imperil fragile supply chains, warns Los Angeles port chief https://t.co/6hprhROZuE via @ft
CMA CGM Charters Slots on Neoline’s Sail-Powered Transatlantic Service
CMA CGM has signed a charter agreement to secure 50 TEU on each sailing of Neoliner Origin, the sail‑powered container vessel operated by Neoline Armateurs. The ship, with a deadweight of roughly 5,300 tonnes and a capacity of about 265...
Fuel Oil Prices Spike, Threatening Container Shipping Costs
COLUMN: While the price of Brent and WTI crudes remain well below their record high, the cost of fuel oil has surged above the 2022 and 2008 peaks. The surge is a big problem for the workhorse of globalisation: the container...
Midwest Tight, West Coast Weak: Carriers Stay Put
Carriers should stay in the Midwest, where the conditions are extremely tight, while the West Coast remains weak
MSC Expands St. Petersburg Coverage
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has added two dedicated shuttle services between Klaipeda, Lithuania and St. Petersburg, Russia, bolstering its Baltic feeder network. Baltic Loop 3 will run weekly with a 3,000‑TEU vessel, while Baltic Loop 12 will operate every five days using...
Iran Says Hormuz Open, only US/Israeli Ships Barred
"Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday said the Strait of Hormuz is open and that the strategic route is only closed to the US and Israeli vessels" Are ships and tankers moving? If not, then where is the problem? Look...
Without Rare Earth Elements, Electronic Warfare Systems Lose Their Edge
Electronic warfare (EW) has become the backbone of modern military operations, turning the electromagnetic spectrum into a decisive battlespace. The performance of EW hardware hinges on rare‑earth‑based components—neodymium‑iron‑boron and samarium‑cobalt magnets for antenna steering, power generation, and high‑temperature stability, plus...
Port of Rotterdam Authority to Build New Quay
The Port of Rotterdam Authority and Evos Rotterdam have agreed to build a new inland shipping quay to accommodate Evos’s terminal expansion in Europoort. The expansion adds five storage tanks, boosting capacity by 67,500 cubic metres for methanol, ethanol and...
US Lacks Effective Red Sea Escort, Shipping Still Unsafe
Breakdown of @POTUS statement: 1️⃣Allied warships took over the Red Sea after Operation Prosperity Guardian in Yemen. Shipping traffic did not return. 2️⃣If they can still send a drone, mine or missile, than you have not destroyed 100%. While the...
Maersk Introduces Peak Season Surcharge From Asia Pacific
Maersk announced a new Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) for cargo moving from Asia Pacific to South Africa and Mauritius, effective 1 April 2026. The surcharge is $500 per 20‑foot dry container and $1,000 per 40‑foot container. It applies only to non‑spot bookings...
Truck Capacity Is a Commodity; Drivers Are the Bottleneck
A decade ago, a CFO of a mega fleet told me I knew nothing about the industry because I called trucking a commodity. Commodities are priced based on supply and demand and truckload services are fungible between motor carriers - I.e....
Trucking's Sweet Spot: Strong Demand, Limited Overcapacity
Trucking is in a great spot right now. We don’t know what the escalation in Iran or surging oil markets will do to the momentum, but for now, this is a trucker’s market. In some ways, slower momentum may be better in...
Poland Prepares to Test an Autonomous Train
Poland’s state‑owned railway PKP has joined a consortium to develop and test an autonomous passenger train using Automatic Train Operation technology. The pilot will run on the WKD Line 48 between Podkowa Leśna and Milanówek, starting with a digital‑twin simulation followed by...
Hormuz Shipping Halt Threatens Billions; Resume for All
Because some folks seem confused: I think it’s really bad that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is halted, and it would be better for pretty well everyone (except Russia) if traffic resumes It will be utterly miserable for billions of...
Oil Loss Anywhere Sends Prices Soaring Everywhere, U.S. Knows
A barrel of oil lost anywhere is a barrel lost everywhere. It’s a global market and acute scarcity in the Middle East/Asia will inevitably spike prices in North America as markets work to incentivize cargoes to fill the hole. US foreign policy...
Tariffs Shift US‑China Trade Balance, Not Global Flow
A case study in how tariffs can change the bilateral trade balance but not the global trade balance -- the US is now importing a ton of computers, but essentially zero of those are registering in customs as Chinese made 1/...
Hormuz Threat Lulls: No New Attacks, Interference Persists
🚨Mar 14 Hormuz Update🚨 1️⃣Confirmed attacks: 20 2️⃣Attacks last 24 hrs:0 3️⃣Passage last 24 hrs: 2 4️⃣Average passage: 138 5️⃣Electronic interference: widespread https://t.co/nQ4ZTet45o
Convoy Escorts Likely Limited to National‑interest Vessels
Let's talk about how this works as it will not be a unified convoy operation, probably. If it is like the Red Sea, then they will escort the ships they have a national interest in, only. https://t.co/FxZMYvlZSu
ATA Claims Driver Shortage Despite Clear Evidence
The ATA will see this and then look you dead in the eye and tell you that there’s a driver shortage https://t.co/X7QcsVTiJ5
Hormuz Blockade Triggers Energy, Shipping, and Food Crises
🚨Strait of Hormuz Disruptions🚨 Implications of Global Trade and Development by @UNCTAD 1️⃣Energy Surge 2️⃣Soaring Shipping Crisis 3️⃣Insurance Spikes 4️⃣Fertilizer & Food Security 5️⃣Insurance Spikes & Higher Borrowing Costs https://t.co/SxnLDTDmwG
Delaware Bay Barge Fire Extinguished, Salvage Operations Begin
The barge fire on Delaware Bay has been extinguished and the scene turned over to the salvors. https://t.co/uqBwjXnG5z
Tiny $22.67
What will it take for a shipowner to run the Strait? $500,000/day charter rate. The crews receive a war risk bonus of 100% their daily rate. The minimum wage for seafarers is $680/month. So the $22.67/day extra is a small drop in the bucket...
Fire Hits UAE Oil Hub as Iran Threatens Retaliation
Fire at UAE's major Fujairah oil hub, as Iran vows retaliation for US attack on Kharg Island https://t.co/5FZnHQsJ4j
Double Standards: Free Trade for Us, Tariffs for Rivals
Free trade for my inputs; tariffs for my competitors. A tale as old as time.
Shipowners Risk Mines and Missiles to Smuggle Oil
Lured by Profits, Some Shipowners Brave Mines and Missiles to Sneak Oil Past Iran https://t.co/rCFiJE3YzS
Only 6% Register, $166B Refunds Unclaimed
The gov't says only 6% of eligible companies have registered their payment details to receive tariff refunds. $166B in refunds at stake. People hate money.
Only 20% of Stranded Bulkers Cleared Through Hormuz
36 bulk carrier transits of the Strait of Hormuz Of around 240 bulkers stranded in the Arabian Gulf nearly 20% have transited out via the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war started says Signal Ocean https://t.co/tnMA4QjJ1W
Iran’s Yuan Demand Threatens Petrodollar, Ships Bottlenecked
Did the Greek tanker owner pay in Chines yuan? What will Iran’s payment demand mean to the petrodollar? And the quantity of ships stuck in the Strait?
Tariffs Fail to Boost Manufacturing Jobs, May Reduce Payrolls
"One thing becoming clear: tariffs on foreign imports didn't result in an increase in manufacturing payrolls (and may have directly resulted in the opposite)." 🙀 https://t.co/zvrbKgPxg3 https://t.co/h5DLBYPjf6
Self‑Certification of Truck Schools Is a Government Failure
“Wipe the whole thing and start all over.” In reference to the self-certification of truck driver schools. It’s one of the most ludicrous things that the government has ever done in trucking and that is saying a lot.
US Lifts Anti-Dumping Duties on 13 Italian Pasta Brands
"The US Department of Commerce has cut anti-dumping duties on 13 Italian pasta brands following an investigation into alleged export undercutting, Italy's Foreign Ministry announced." https://t.co/2KrLcSuyUY https://t.co/7S8ssbunhj
Truck Driver Glut Persists, Not Shortage, Says Industry
I am looking forward to the day when the ATA publishes a new report showing how many excess truck drivers the industry has. We have a glut, not a shortage.
Strait Closure Sparks 360% Surge in Freight Diversions
I missed this project44 press release from earlier this week - Strait of Hormuz Closure Triggers 360% Surge in Ocean Freight Diversions https://t.co/u3NrIui3y3 project 44 Insights - https://t.co/fZoIuMEoDt