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
Seafarers Maintain the Right to Refuse to Sail Through Mideast Gulf Region
Seafarers can now refuse to sail through the Middle East Gulf after the threat level was raised to its highest, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the International Bargaining Forum. The agreement allows crew to decline voyages in the Strait of Hormuz, with companies covering repatriation and paying at least two months’ basic wages. Higher pay and doubled compensation for death or disability were also secured. The move follows nine ship‑damage incidents and one fatality since February 28, highlighting escalating regional risks.
Mideast War Casts Cloud on Gulf Petchems, Other Industries
Iran's retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure in the Gulf have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for a fifth of global oil shipments. The shutdown immediately disrupted energy‑intensive sectors in the region, notably petrochemicals, fertilizers and aluminum, curtailing...
We Reshored Long Before Tariffs and Never Looked Back
Titan Abrasive Systems chose to reshore all components and assembly to the United States in 2013, well before tariff regimes or supply‑chain shocks emerged. The move raised production costs but delivered full visibility, rapid problem resolution, and uninterrupted delivery for...
Supply Chain Losses Hit 86% of Companies, but Most Lack Adequate Coverage: Gallagher
A Gallagher survey reveals that 86% of global companies suffered supply‑chain losses in the past year, yet only about one‑third were fully insured for those events. Rising material costs, geopolitical instability and tariff volatility are cited as the primary disruption...
Hellmann Appoints Bhasin as Automotive Logistics VP
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has named Rahul Bhasin as global vice president of its Automotive Logistics division. Bhasin, who boasts over 15 years of strategic leadership across Asia‑Pacific, the Middle East and Europe, will steer the unit toward sustainable, customer‑centric growth....
NVIDIA Stops China-Focused H200 "Hopper" GPU Production
NVIDIA has halted production of its China‑focused H200 Hopper GPU at TSMC, leaving roughly 250,000 units in inventory awaiting U.S. export clearance and Chinese import permits. The pause follows export‑control constraints that limit the chips to non‑security‑sensitive applications. NVIDIA plans...
US Invites Proposals to Boost Supply of Tungsten and 12 Other Critical Minerals
The Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) announced that the U.S. military is inviting proposals to develop domestic production of 13 critical minerals, including tungsten, arsenic and nickel, with submissions due March 20, 2026. The request covers the entire value chain—from...
Strait Closure Ripple Effects Threaten Sulphur, Copper, Global Markets
Further to what we said about the impact that the closing of the Strait of Hormuz has on the sulphur market… and therefore African copper production… Craig Tindale maps out that this is only one small piece of a giant...
Railroads Target Trucking Share Amid Tight Capacity
Railroads wanting to win back share from trucking. May explain why intermodal rates haven't moved off the floor, while truckload rates surge. https://t.co/3TM3rE2uEI
Speak up for Our Sector
Maritime leaders face a perfect storm of geopolitical turmoil, regulatory uncertainty and shrinking investment, threatening the sector’s ability to meet decarbonisation and infrastructure goals. Intent Communications CEO Namrata Nadkarni urges a single, data‑driven voice through the 2025‑26 ICS Maritime Barometer Survey...
Ecom Founders Turn Lunch Breaks Into Growth Lessons
Everyone on their lunch break: Scrolling social media. Ecom founders on their lunch break: Listening to a podcast about supply chain optimisation. Different mindset. Different growth curve.
Best-in-Class Supply Chains Boost Profits by Up to 22%
“The correlation between #supplychain mgmt. competence and org. strategic development & operating performance is well proven. Orgs. w/ top-notch SCM capabilities earn as much as 22% higher profit margins than the SCM laggards.” https://t.co/aOD9g3jjRN #procurement #purchasing https://t.co/p2jVSKcEwc
Amtrak Will Launch First Round of Community Grants for B&P Tunnel Program March 23rd
Amtrak will begin accepting applications for its Community Investment Program on March 23, targeting projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore. The program is part of a $50 million phased investment to replace the 150‑year‑old B&P Tunnel, a critical...
Why Warehouse Insight Is the Go-To Mobile WMS Solution for Dynamics 365 Business Central Users
Warehouse Insight is a native mobile WMS add‑on for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central that brings real‑time inventory visibility, barcode scanning, and offline capabilities to the warehouse floor. The solution offers a drag‑and‑drop App Designer, a free WMS Express tier...
Dachser Achieves Emission-Free Deliveries in 25 City Centres
Dachser now operates emission‑free inner‑city delivery zones in 25 European cities, deploying 60 battery‑electric trucks and 13 cargo bikes. In 2025 the network covered roughly 1.8 million kilometres without greenhouse‑gas emissions, averaging 7,000 km per day. The rollout follows a modular...
Micron: What Exploding Memory Prices Mean for Investors
Micron Technology is benefiting from an unprecedented surge in memory prices, driven by a tight supply of high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) and soaring demand from hyperscale cloud providers. The price rally has pushed Micron's gross margins to historic levels and set...
Middle East War Jitters See Boxship Rates Jump 20% on Asia-Europe
Container freight rates on the Asia‑to‑North‑Europe lane have jumped sharply after the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Spot rates are up roughly 20%, while forward contracts for the next weeks and months are priced 20‑30% higher. The surge...
ASL Airlines Sign Support Agreement with AJW Group
AJW Group has entered a support agreement with ASL Aviation Holdings to provide airframe‑only technical and engineering services for two A330ceo aircraft operated by ASL Airlines Ireland. The services will be delivered on a time‑and‑materials basis over an initial four‑year...
Flatbed Slowdown, Van and Reefer Volumes Rebound
Slight change in direction. Flatbed volumes momentum slowing a tad bit, while van and reefer are starting to wake up again after pausing growth over past 10 days. https://t.co/bpYDZEvodV
Outbound Tender Rejections Near Cycle High at 14.12%
Outbound tender rejection rates trying to make a new high. +32 bps overnight. At 14.12%, the cycle high was 14.16%. https://t.co/mdeQcfAsvu
SONAR Launches New Geopolitical Alert and Fuel Dashboards to Help Supply Chains Navigate Iran Conflict Volatility
SONAR introduced two platform enhancements—a Geopolitical Alert on its Executive Dashboard and a Fuel Dashboard within Truckload Insights—to give logistics professionals real‑time visibility into Iran‑related conflict risks and energy price swings. The Geopolitical Alert supplies immediate context, curated resources, and...
Iran War Sends Global Ripples Through Container Shipping
The impact of the Iran war on container shipping is reaching well beyond the Persian Gulf, creating ripple effects upstream at ports around the world. 1/ 🧵
PD Ports Delivers Support for Northern England Solar Energy Projects
PD Ports completed a large‑scale logistics operation for northern England’s renewable energy rollout, moving more than 220 containers of solar panels and over 300 containers of lithium storage cubes through its Teesport terminal. The company handled import, warehousing and inland...
China's Lithium Lead Persists, but Supply Share Shrinks
China’s lithium supply dominance is hardly being “locked in.” Over the next decade their #1 position over demand will remain but their control over supply will diminish as assets in North America and non Chinese owned assets in South America...
Diesel Costs Rise $0.40/gal, Adding $0.06 per Mile
Diesel prices keep surging +$.40/gallon since start of the conflict That is roughly $.06/mile https://t.co/U2lHk2MBhe
Sensing Your Way to a Smoother Supply Chain
Supply chain management is being transformed by rapid advances in sensor technology, with the logistics sensor market projected to grow from $10.5 billion in 2024 to $25.8 billion by 2033. Ambient IoT, exemplified by Wiliot’s battery‑free Pixel tags, is giving Walmart item‑level...
No Missiles, No Drones: What Happens When Rare Earths Stop Flowing?
China controls roughly 90‑95% of global rare‑earth processing, creating a strategic vulnerability for U.S. defense and high‑tech sectors. In response, REalloys (NASDAQ: ALOY) is building North America’s first fully integrated, China‑free heavy rare‑earth supply chain, with a production facility in...
Food, Beverage Companies Lagging on Addressing Forced Labor Risks: Report
A new Business and Human Rights Centre benchmark of 45 leading food and beverage firms shows an average forced‑labor mitigation score of just 15 out of 100, a decline from the previous assessment. Only two companies – Australia’s Coles and...
Training in the Real System: How Immersive Projects Prepare the Next Generation of Supply Chain Professionals
A recent operations management course compared textbook case projects with an industry‑based immersive project at a material recovery facility. Students embedded in the live system achieved higher post‑course scores across four learning domains, most notably a 14% gain in applying...
CHAMP Expands Cargospot Weight & Balance for Boeing 777-300ERSF
CHAMP Cargosystems has upgraded its Cargospot Weight & Balance platform to support the Boeing 777-300ERSF, the first live implementation of this freighter conversion worldwide. The enhancement streamlines load planning for complex passenger‑to‑freighter (P2F) aircraft, integrating AI‑driven autoload optimization, load‑sheet generation,...
CER Endorses Europe’s New Ports Strategy
The Community of European Railways (CER) welcomed the European Commission’s new EU Ports Strategy, which formally recognises rail freight as a key component of port policy, planning and investment. The strategy targets competitiveness, sustainability and resilience, and commits the EC...
BlueBox Systems Launches New Data Analytics Platform ‘Tradelane Intelligence’
BlueBox Systems unveiled Tradelane Intelligence, a data‑analytics platform that merges AI‑validated airfreight data with premium ocean data from Vizion. The solution delivers advanced reporting tools for carrier comparison, demurrage alerts, document verification, and an Eco‑Routing module that projects CO₂ emissions....
Supply Chains Must Prioritize Flexibility Over AI Solutions
6 years of upstream supply chain disruption. From covid thru the global unpredictability of President Trump with trade wars and actual war. The continuing takeaway is the need for a new supply chain with flexibility and adaptability. It goes...
Rail Baltica Advances Joint Procurement of Core Track Construction Materials
Rail Baltica has moved into the next stage of joint procurement, signing framework agreements for core track components such as rails, sleepers, and turnout systems across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The contracts set pre‑agreed pricing, performance and delivery terms while...
First Container Ship Hit in Hormuz; Crew Evacuates
First container ship struck by an "unknown projectile" in the the Strait of Hormuz today. The Safeen Prestige, a 1700 TEU ship operated by Global Feeder Systems (owned by Abu Dhabi Port Group) The attack caused a fire and the crew...
Waynova Group Unveils Unified Technology Platform
Waynova Group has combined four specialized rail‑technology firms—ZEDAS, Railroad Software, Raspberry Software and Automated Rail—into a single international platform. The unified solution delivers software and hardware for asset management, maintenance, inspection, yard operations, revenue protection and field devices across North...
MRAs Key to Trade Expansion, Diversification, Resilience
#tradeXpresso: how important are #MRAs for trade expansion, export diversification and supply chain resilience? If you missed it, catch up with the latest insights from an excellent panel of experts at the @wto #TBT thematic session 👇 https://t.co/NMNgTHfYkC
Singapore Petrochemical Firm Cites War, Declares Force Majeure
I said before that force majeure could be the result of the war. Here we go. Singapore petrochemical firm declares it. More to come. Add shipping contracts. And other areas.
CMA CGM Announces Rate Restoration Initiatives to Latin America and Caribbean
Shipping line CMA CGM announced new rate restoration surcharges for its Europe‑to‑Latin America and Caribbean services, taking effect on April 1, 2026. The carrier will levy a €325 per container fee on shipments from North Europe to Central America and the Caribbean, and...
South Korea's LNG Reserves Hover at Critical Nine‑day Minimum
South Korea. Supply of LNG at critical. Impact on people and manufacturing. The regional Middle East war is becoming a global supply chain risk.
How Software Licensing Transforms Industrial OEM Revenue: From Hardware Complexity to Recurring Profits
Industrial automation OEMs are abandoning costly hardware variants in favor of software‑driven product differentiation. By consolidating devices onto core platforms and licensing features, manufacturers can slash component, production, and support expenses. Modular licensing—flat‑rate, usage‑based, or hybrid—lets OEMs toggle capabilities, creating...
Work Begins on Next Phase of Coventry Very Light Rail Demonstration Programme
Colas Rail UK has started building an 800 m Very Light Rail (VLR) track linking Coventry University Technology Park to the city’s railway station, marking the second phase of the council’s pilot programme. The VLR system uses lightweight battery‑powered railcars on...
Orizon Aerostructures Deploys Flexxbotics to Power Data-Driven Autonomy at Scale in Aerospace Manufacturing
Orizon Aerostructures has deployed Flexxbotics’ autonomous manufacturing platform to create a data‑driven, closed‑loop control environment across its aerospace production lines. The integration links CNC machines, FANUC robots, and enterprise PLM systems, feeding multimodal sensor streams into industrial AI for real‑time...
Manufacturers Spending More On Cybersecurity Yet Cyberattacks Only Account for 5% of Downtime, Research Reveals
Manufacturers are boosting cybersecurity budgets, yet a new Macrium‑Newton X study finds cyber incidents account for just 5% of production downtime. The bulk of costly outages stem from internal operational failures—mis‑planned maintenance, configuration errors, and network glitches—creating a widening "recovery gap."...
CottonConnect Consults on New Standard
London‑based social enterprise CottonConnect has released a draft Version 1.0 of its REEL Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard for public consultation. The standard seeks to extend the REEL cotton programme’s traceability from the gin through to finished textile products, offering a...
BMO Upgrades This Plastics Manufacturer as Middle East Conflict Disrupts Global Supply
BMO Capital Markets upgraded Westlake Corp., a U.S. plastics and construction‑materials maker, to Outperform and raised its price target to $127, implying roughly a 20% upside. The upgrade follows the Middle East conflict that has shut down the Strait of...
IRobot’s Supply Chain Turns Into Last Resort
Now playing on @artofsupply > How iRobot’s Supply Chain Became Its Last Resort https://t.co/p5hFTiS2fr https://t.co/nVLSFLgEOt
CNC Revamps JPX Service
CNC has launched a revamped JPX service linking Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines with an optimized port rotation and stable weekly sailings. The new schedule introduces an express Ningbo‑Malacca link and direct connections to Manila North and South,...
New Boa Metro Trains Enter Service in Lille
Alstom’s new Boa metro trains have entered passenger service on Lille’s automated Line 1, with the first five 52‑metre, rubber‑tyred units boosting capacity from 160 to 313 passengers per train. The trains will operate in mixed formation alongside existing VAL 208 units,...
Thomas Schürmann Appointed Managing Director Germany of Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS)
Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) announced that Thomas Schürmann will become Managing Director Germany of its Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS) subsidiary in April, succeeding Claus Wagner. Schürmann arrives from Etihad Airways, where he oversaw global cargo operations across 80 stations, bringing...