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
Elixir Aircraft Begins U.S. Deliveries
Elixir Aircraft, a French manufacturer, began U.S. deliveries to Florida‑based Cirrus Aviation (10 aircraft) and Arizona’s Sierra Charlie Aviation, which has a pre‑order for 100 trainers. The first three U.S. aircraft will be showcased at AirVenture, marking the first time Elixir’s planes arrive by air at the show. The two‑seat trainer, certified under EASA CS‑23 in 2020 and FAA Part 23 in July 2025, features a carbon‑fiber monocoque structure that reduces parts and maintenance. Elixir now operates 50 aircraft worldwide and holds over 300 on its order book.
DHS Preps Industry for Communications Equipment Recompete
The Department of Homeland Security is gearing up for the next round of its tactical communications procurement, dubbed TACTICS, with a final solicitation slated for August 3, 2026. The current TACCOM II contract, awarded in 2019 with a $3 billion ceiling, has already seen...
Kalmar Q1 2026: Sales Growth Continues Despite Services Segment Pressure
Kalmar Corp posted a 5% sales increase to €420 million (≈$462 million) in Q1 2026, driven by strong equipment performance across the Americas and APAC. Comparable operating profit rose 8% to €52 million (≈$57 million) and the operating margin edged up to 12.3%. The Services...
Iran's Cheap Strategy: Make Shipping Costly, Not Win War
I keep staring at the Iran situation, trying to find the move where the US comes out ahead, and I can't find it. Hormuz is at ~5% of normal traffic. A commercial drone costs five figures. The interceptor that kills it...
Wayfair Supply Chain Has Mitigated Impact of Fuel Costs, CEO Says
Wayfair’s Q1 2026 earnings call highlighted that rising fuel costs and geopolitical tensions have not eroded its margins, thanks to a supply‑chain model that passes fulfillment expenses to suppliers and keeps take rates stable. CEO Niraj Shah said the retailer...
Trump Administration Looks to Ease Memory Chip Crunch with Supply Chain Bloc
The Trump administration is forming a multilateral supply‑chain coalition to alleviate the global memory‑chip shortage that is throttling data‑center expansion and AI workloads. The bloc will bring together partners in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, with the United States...
Plenty of US Mariners to Go Around Even as Wholesale Changes Still Necessary, MARAD Chief Says
Maritime Administrator Stephen Carmel told shipowners at the TradeWinds Shipowners Forum that the United States has a sufficient pool of qualified mariners, dismissing concerns about crew shortages. He urged companies to submit US‑flag registration applications without delay. While emphasizing workforce...
Nepal to Procure 80,000 Tonnes of Fertiliser From India as Iran Disrupts Global Supply Chains
Nepal will buy 80,000 tonnes of fertilizer from India under a government‑to‑government agreement to offset global supply shocks caused by the West Asia war. The shipment comprises 60,000 tonnes of urea and 20,000 tonnes of di‑ammonium phosphate, funded by a...
How Bissell Homecare Is Cleaning up Supply Chain Planning
Bissell Homecare teamed with o9 Solutions to replace Excel‑based processes with a cloud‑native supply‑chain platform, deploying demand planning, supply‑chain planning, supplier collaboration and inventory‑optimization modules. Three years into the rollout, the company cut scenario‑analysis time from two‑to‑three weeks down to...
Air Force Eyes OTAs, Agile Acquisition for Next-Gen Air Operations Command and Control System
The Air Force is launching a modernization effort for its Next‑Generation Air Operations Center (NG AOC) command‑and‑control system, aiming to embed artificial‑intelligence and cloud capabilities more quickly. It plans to use other‑transaction agreements (OTAs) and an agile acquisition framework, managed...
Super Dispatch: Diesel Price Volatility Strains Auto Transport Margins
Super Dispatch's Fuel and Transport Cost Tracker shows diesel prices hovering around $5.35 per gallon, about $1.80 higher than a year ago, and spiking to $5.64 in a single week. The surge has lifted auto‑transport costs by 16.7% to $0.98...
IFPA Names Second Cohort For Packaging Innovation Program
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) and the Foundation for Fresh Produce announced the second cohort of its Packaging Innovation Program, a $5 million USDA‑funded effort to accelerate sustainable packaging for U.S. specialty crop exports. Seven companies will receive non‑dilutive grants...
‘Gateway to the Klondike’: Skagway Port Securing U.S. Funds Energizes Yukon Mine – by Dana Hatherly (CBC News North –...
The U.S. Department of Transportation approved a $38.6 million grant to build a modern industrial dock in Skagway, Alaska, part of a seven‑project federal port‑infrastructure program. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy highlighted the port as a lifeline for remote communities, while Yukon officials...
Mouser Electronics Shipping Wide Selection of Industrial Solutions From Schneider Electric
Mouser Electronics has expanded its global catalog to include more than 27,000 Schneider Electric parts, covering tower lights, solid‑state relays, variable‑frequency drives and PLCs. The partnership gives engineers instant access to Schneider’s digital‑automation and energy‑management solutions across Mouser’s fast‑shipping network....
Canada Should Work With Washington on Critical Minerals Without Deferring to It – by Robert M. Cutler (Open Canada –...
Canada must collaborate with the United States on critical mineral strategy while preserving its own negotiating leverage. The article argues that critical minerals are now central to economic security and that Canada cannot afford to stay isolated or overly dependent...
South Korea Reviews Role in Strait of Hormuz
South Korea is reevaluating participation in U.S.-led operations in the Strait of Hormuz after an explosion and fire aboard the HMM Namu cargo vessel. The incident, which occurred in the geopolitically sensitive waterway, left all 24 crew members unharmed and...
Strength in the Air and Weakness in Ocean Mark Expeditors’ Strong 1Q
Expeditors International posted a strong first‑quarter earnings report, highlighted by a 5% year‑over‑year increase in air‑freight tonnage that lifted air margins. In contrast, ocean freight volume slipped 4% YoY, dragging down container revenue and pricing. The company’s customs‑brokerage segment saw...
The Scenario Planners Win: A Q&A With Teneo’s Bernardo Silva on How Food Manufacturers Should Be Preparing Right Now
Bernardo Silva of Teneo explains how food manufacturers are confronting the layered shock of the Iran conflict, which hits energy, freight, agricultural inputs and consumers in succession. He stresses scenario planning as the primary tool for anticipating cost spikes and...
VTNA to Begin Taking VNL Electric Orders by End of 2026
Volvo Trucks North America announced it will begin taking orders for its flagship VNL Electric Class 8 tractor by the end of 2026, a year later than the original 2025‑early‑2026 target. The delay is linked to a cooler political climate for battery‑electric...
Apple Eyes Intel and Samsung as AI Boom Squeezes Chip Supply
Apple is quietly exploring U.S. alternatives to its longtime chip partner TSMC as AI‑driven demand strains advanced‑node capacity. The company has held preliminary talks with Intel and toured Samsung’s under‑construction Texas fab to assess feasibility for future iPhone, iPad and...
Germany Sees U.S. as Vulnerable to Squeeze on Potash Due to Canadian Reliance – by Michael Nienaber (Financial Post/Bloomberg –...
German officials are charting U.S. supply‑chain weak points after President Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland. Their analysis flags potash as a critical leverage point because the United States imports more than 90 % of the fertilizer ingredient, primarily from Canada....
Ruto Makes Case to Tanzania for Tanga Refinery
Kenyan President William Ruto used his Tanzania visit to promote a regional oil refinery in Tanga, seeking financing from Nigerian mogul Aliko Dangote. Tanzanian officials initially reacted cautiously, but Ruto’s business forum and parliamentary address secured broader political openness. The...
Self‑driving Trucks Could Cut Grocery Prices and Boost Safety
Autonomous trucking company Aurora is starting to put sponsored articles in sites like Axios stating that autonomous trucks will lower grocery bills and increase safety. "Autonomous trucks — trucks that operate without a driver — could lower shipping costs, helping reduce...
Iran Launches Strait Authority, Threatens $90B Fees
Iran does not care about any UN reg. They will do what they want with the Strait. They may be looking at $90bil in fees. What will Trump do?
Rosswag to Install Eplus3D System Under New Metal AM Partnership
Rosswag Engineering, Eplus3D, and powder supplier qualloy signed an MOU to develop next‑generation metal additive‑manufacturing systems. Rosswag will install Eplus3D’s EP‑M550 MPBF machine, featuring a 550 × 550 × 450 mm build envelope and eight lasers, in its new German AM facility, with customer testing...
2026 US Goods Trade Balance Mirrors 2024, Not 2025
New data from the Census today show that, adjusted for inflation, the 2026 US goods trade balance is essentially unchanged vs the same period in 2024. (2025 is wildly distorted bc of an import surge due to tariff front-running.) https://t.co/f779W6FJZL https://t.co/eTPHLFMM9T
China’s Hyper‑Automated Factories Build a Car Every 30 Seconds
China’s Hyper-#Automated Auto Plants: One Car Every 30 Seconds Rolls Off the Line by @Eng_china5 #Robotics #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/LWot8ymHwq
Master Boat Builders Begins T-ATS Module Fabrication for U.S. Navy
Master Boat Builders of Coden, Alabama, has started fabricating two hull modules for the U.S. Navy’s Navajo‑class Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship (T‑ATS) program, under its partnership with Austal USA. The modules will be built at Master Boat’s existing yard...
Tariffs Alone Won’t Revive U.S. Textile Industry
"It Will Take More Than Tariffs to Bring Back U.S. Textile Manufacturing, Industry Insiders Say" 😯 https://t.co/xrPxylUcmA https://t.co/DDxL6NjUj4
PCB and Wire Bonding: Overlooked Semiconductor Bottleneck
"Clearly the most underrated bottleneck in the semi supply chain is in printed circuit board and die-attach wire bonding", EthereumFire's senior crypto analyst wrote in a note to clients.
Transforming Inventory Operations
Lapp USA, a distributor of industrial cables and accessories, deployed Corvus Robotics' Corvus One autonomous inventory drones in its 134,000‑square‑foot Brownsburg, Indiana facility. The drones perform nightly scans, turning a labor‑intensive, twice‑yearly manual count into 26 accurate inventories per year....
Beef Imports Surge to Record $13.75B, up 28% Yo
"[B]eef imports in total are exploding at $4.5 billion through March, up 28% from a year ago. That comes after record for beef imports at $13.75 billion in 2025, up nearly $2.5 billion from a year earlier." https://t.co/M9mSqQvOq6
Transportation Capacity Tightening Rapidly, Market Set to Worsen
Transportation capacity has never tightened this fast outside of the kick off of peak season during COVID. This is a very tight market that is expected to see further tightening as the year progresses.
ICTSI Delivers Increased First Quarter 2026
International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) posted a strong first‑quarter 2026, with revenue climbing 29% to $961.1 million and EBITDA up 26% to $617.9 million. Consolidated throughput reached 4.08 million TEUs, an 18% year‑over‑year increase, largely powered by the newly‑opened Durban Gateway and Batu Ampar...
Why the Strait of Hormuz Crisis Is Exposing Hidden Weaknesses in Supply Chains
Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are destabilizing tanker traffic, causing ripples across raw‑material supplies for fertilizers, polymers and packaging. While companies now have dashboards that flag these delays, the lack of coordinated response across procurement, operations and commercial teams...
Class I Briefs: CPKC, CN, CSX
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) set multiple April records, moving 2.9 million metric tons (MMT) of grain and 30,381 carloads, while its first‑quarter haul reached 7.2 MMT, eclipsing the 2021 benchmark. Canadian National (CN) reported a new April high of 3.2 MMT, marking...
Vori Raises $22M Series B to Help Independent Grocers Compete with Walmart and Amazon with Payments, Inventory, and Pricing
San Francisco AI grocery startup Vori announced a $22 million Series B round led by Cherryrock Capital. The company’s platform automates payments, inventory tracking, invoice processing, dynamic pricing and purchase‑order generation for independent supermarkets. Vori targets the 75 percent of U.S. grocery operators...
Ford Future Models: 2026-2036
Ford is committing $2 billion to revamp its Louisville Assembly plant for the first stage of its Universal Electric Vehicle Architecture (UEVA). The debut model, likely named the Ranchero, will be a mid‑size electric pickup unveiled in 2026 and built using...
BioNTech's Remarkable Vaccine Supply Chain: A Bittersweet Legacy
For those of us (OK, mainly me) obsessively tracking the details of BioNTech's *INCREDIBLE* vaccine supply chain buildout during COVID-19, this piece is bittersweet. What BioNTech achieved for humanity in 2020-21 is simply an incredible story. https://t.co/H0YcTszLjr
U.S. Forms Global Coalition to Tackle Memory Chip Shortage
LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. is working to address the global memory chip shortage through a supply chain coalition with allies in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, a State Department official told Nikkei Asia Monday.
Georgia Ports Authority Opens $134 Million Gainesville Inland Port to Shift Freight to Rail
The Georgia Ports Authority inaugurated the $134 million Gainesville Inland Port on May 4, offering a five‑day‑a‑week rail link to Savannah and projecting the elimination of 26,000 truck round trips in its first year. The facility is expected to give local manufacturers...
Oil Prices Jump After Iran Strikes UAE Fujairah Facility, Sparking Energy Supply Chain Concerns
Iran's missile attack on the Fujairah energy facility in the United Arab Emirates pushed crude benchmarks sharply higher, prompting a risk‑off market shift and heightened worries about the fragility of global oil logistics. The move lifted inflation expectations, pressured Treasury...
Savannah to Fund Its Own Study on Readying Port for Big Ships
Georgia Ports Authority announced it will fund its own engineering study to deepen and widen Savannah Harbor, targeting accommodation of ultra‑large container ships exceeding 8,200 TEU. The current ship channel sits at a federally authorized depth of 49 feet, with the...
Foreign Firms Invest $175 M in Shanghai Manufacturing Hubs, Doubling New FIEs YoY
Foreign companies are accelerating capital inflows into Shanghai’s manufacturing ecosystem, highlighted by ZEISS’s $174.9 million campus and Estée Lauder’s new lights‑out supply‑chain center. The city recorded a 14.1% rise in newly established foreign‑invested enterprises in the first two months of 2024,...
Medline Launches Mpower Digital Control Tower, Promising 50% Workflow Boost for Hospitals
Medline announced the launch of Mpower™, an AI‑driven digital control tower that gives health systems real‑time supply‑chain visibility. Early adopters report more than a 50% efficiency gain in order substitution workflows and a 1‑2% rise in unadjusted fill‑rates, positioning the...
U.S. Data Center Boom Pushes Electrical Equipment Market to $65B, Sparks Power Supply Strain
Wood Mackenzie projects the U.S. data‑center electrical equipment market will swell to $65 billion by 2030, with transformer demand climbing to over 9,000 units. The surge, driven by hyperscalers’ AI‑fuelled expansion, is forcing utilities, cities and regulators to confront unprecedented power‑supply...
Rockwell, Teradyne, Tesla See Automation Demand Despite Uncertainty
U.S. automation leaders Rockwell Automation, Teradyne and Tesla reported strong demand despite macro uncertainty. Rockwell posted $2.2 billion in Q2 sales, a 12% year‑over‑year rise, with intelligent‑device margins climbing to 20.9% and software margins to 34.9%. Teradyne’s robotics division saw revenue...
TikTok-Fuelled Food Shortages: How Industry Can Respond
TikTok-driven trends have sparked global shortages of pistachios and ube, exposing supply‑chain concentration risks. The Philippines dominates authentic ube production, while pistachios face similar concentration. Experts advise firms to map concentration risk, maintain format flexibility, and communicate quickly with suppliers....
War Puts LNG Future in the Spotlight
Asian imports of liquefied natural gas plunged to a seven‑year low as the Middle East war cut roughly a quarter of global LNG supply. The shortage drove spot prices to multi‑year highs and sparked a scramble for the limited cargoes...
Gulf Tensions Push Oil Prices Higher and Deepwater Explorers Into the Red
U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have driven crude oil prices up, sparking a rally in global commodity markets. At the same time, deepwater producer Kosmos Energy posted a widened first‑quarter...